The Brothers Destiny
by iamryanmags
Summary: What if Stefan didn't die in the tunnels with Katherine? What if the events that lead up to their fight with Hell unlocked the Brothers long-awaited destiny? Follow Damon and Stefan's journey to redemption, peace and love with a ton of adventure, and all of the brothers' attitude left in for fun. – Julie Plec owns all these characters and all this content if she wants it.
1. Chapter 1 - The Touch of Hellfire's Kiss

**Note from Author**: _Hello Friends - I started writing this because I was late to the TVD mania. I started watching at the Netflix stage of the game. At that point, you realize there is so much story left to tell. Each episode could have added more, each scene could have played additional lines, each character had so much to say. You have to feel bad for the writers and how limited they must feel with just 42 minutes to get everything they need to communicate the storylines. Thankfully this platform doesn't play by those rules. Enjoy..._

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Chapter 1 – The touch of Hell Fire's Kiss

The tips of his fingers feel the sensation of the cold dirt from the cave floor, his cheek is partly buried in the same centuries-old grounded mountain dust. He hasn't opened his eyes, yet he knows where he is. The pain is bearable, his mouth is dry, as he slowly opens his eyes the sight is blurry, he looks up. He blinks anxiously waiting for the images to clear, when they do, he sees Stefan's arm pinning Katherine's body to his and the other arm holding the dagger over Katherine's heart, he hears Stefan's voice say "Good Bye, Brother." He knows exactly what his martyr, stupid ass, amazing, loving, always there for him, little brother has done. Damon tries to vamp to him, and nothing happens. He uses every ounce of strength he has and still not one muscle moves in his body. Damon starts to panic, he tries harder and harder to move, he knows he has to get up… the more he tries, the more he realizes, he is paralyzed. Damon tries to focus on smaller areas, he tries to move just his arm, it won't, then a leg, nothing. Damon feels the cure spread throughout his blood, every vein is on fire, every muscle, and every part of his body is burning. All the while his eyes never left Stefan, helpless, Damon tries to speak to his brother, to tell him, 'Please, she isn't worth you, she was never worth you. We will find another way.' No words come out. Damon's thoughts race as the burning pain takes over his body, 'I have to move, Damn It, I have to get to Stefan, I have to save Stefan, Stefan must be saved, I must save Stefan, I can't lose Stefan. He doesn't deserve this, not here. Stefan and Elena are my heart, my life, my soul. They are the only parts of my life worth living for. I can't live without them.' Damon loses consciousness after feeling all his energy drain from his body.

Stefan sees the glow of the flames at the turn of the tunnel, they are getting closer. His mind is racing through thousand's of memories of his life, each one challenging the next for importance, then one, just one, takes hold, it voids through the rest, it steadies his hand. He isn't scared or unsure of anything, he knows he has the strength to do, to continue. He held it tightly, he plunges the dagger into her heart, he feels the dagger go through Katherine's sternum, he knows the dagger reached her heart when she goes limp in his arms. He glances at Damon just one more time, his heart is full of love and peace as his eyes close he feels the fingers of hellfire heat touch his flesh, just as the pain sets in, and the heat is gone.


	2. Chapter 2 - This is Hell

Chapter 2 – This is Hell

Stefan falls to the ground, he hears sound of his body colliding with the floor beneath him, only it isn't the earthen dirt of the tunnel ground, it is slightly plush, yet hard and woven. He opens his eyes looking straight up, he recognizes the dark oak vaulted beams crises crossing above his head, he is laying flat on his back. He adjusted his weight on his arms to slightly sit up, and immediately feels the pain of the burnt his flesh, he looks down, his wedding tux was melted to his arm, he could see the charred blood and skin where there should be the fine black fabric of his tux sleeve. The realization overwhelms the pain, Katherine is gone, she isn't in his arms, and he realizes the dagger is also gone, does that mean it is in hell with her. He looks at the burns, the hell fires touched him, the way that he had tangled his arms with her body, to secure her, to keep her from escaping. He knew the hell fire had to have touched him, to do that the fire had to have gone through Katherine to get to him, he was sure of it. He felt the heat of her burn on the front of his entire body, just before it disappeared. He felt different, his soul felt different, his heart felt different, there was a joy, a peace inside him, it worked, the brothers had finally done it, call it a win, redemption, or whatever, he knew, his last thought on earth was love for his brother and his brother's last thought for him was love, they finally found true peace. He took a breath, all his loved ones are safe, Caroline, the twins, Elena and his heart went heavy, he especially hoped Bonnie was safe.

He looks around, where exactly was he? He shakes his head, he is at home, in his living room, the fireplace blazing. Was this his heaven or his hell? He looked at his charred flesh, he felt the pain of the burn he wasn't sure what heaven was, he didn't it came with pain, he was too much of a realist to think that his afterlife would be without pain and suffering. As he looked around, he knew he was in his living room, it was exactly as he and Damon left it this afternoon, when they discovered Katherine impersonating Elena. His home, his refuge, the place he came back to, the one place he could feel connected to Damon and Caroline. He thought I could survive pain and suffering here, was this really hell? Or could Damon be right, was his redemption there with the people he loved, finding true love in Caroline, saving Damon and Elena, did he really find peace? Stefan tries to stand up, he bumped his head on something. He looked up and saw what he hit his head on, Elena's empty coffin. He turns to walk away from the coffin, and slams into an invisible wall. Stefan puts his hands out to feel around, he slowly walks feeling his way around the barrier trying to find if there is an opening. After 10 minutes, up and over the coffin, he realizes that he has been spelled into a barrier 10 foot radius bubble of Elena's coffin. Maybe he didn't find peace, maybe he was in his own personal hell.

Caroline vamp speeds into the Armory, finds Bonnie passed out on the floor. Caroline holding Bonnie in her arms "Bonnie… Bonnie, wake up.. Ric, she has to be ok. I can't lose her too. Bonnie." Bonnie stirs "Care, I did it. Hell didn't win." Bonnie sat up, wiped the blood from her nose. "Katherine? Is she back in Hell?" Caroline hugged her "I don't know. Ric and I just got back to here." Caroline leans her chin on Bonnie's shoulder and whispers "Elena, do you feel her?" Bonnie pulls back and looks directly into Caroline's eyes "Yes, she is ok. I can feel her, our link is as strong as it has always been." Bonnie smiled as she saw hope come back into her dear friend's eyes "You and Ric take the girls, they are Gemini, they can siphon the barrier spell that Kai put up at the school. They can get to Elena. Take Elena home, put her in Damon's room, I can spell it shut from here, my blood is still in the doorways and window sills, from the last time, we needed to put a boundary spell around his room." Caroline looked at her friend with real concern in her eyes. Bonnie continues "Care, I will join you soon.. I have to make sure Hell is sealed and Katherine is gone. I'll use the tunnels, my locator spell will work better the closer to the bell I am, we have to make sure the dagger is in Katherine, in Hell." Caroline "I can't say 'Don't do anything Bonnie Bennett like' because you always will and do. Just be very careful. I can't lose any more people I love tonight." Bonnie pauses "I know what Stefan did. Care, I'm the one that told him about my powers and the spell. I can use magic to see what happened to Damon & Stefan. Maybe I can…" Caroline started crying "Stefan didn't make it. He left me a message, he was going try to save Damon or die with him." Caroline dropped to the floor with Bonnie "He told me 'Family first' Stefan could never live without his brother. He has always chosen Damon. He knew he would again. In a way, I think Damon is Stefan's soul mate. Elena, she tried to tell me, once a long time ago. I didn't understand until today. Stefan and Damon will always be brothers first, and the loves of our lives second." Caroline stood up and lent a hand to Bonnie. Caroline "Are you sure you have the strength for this? It's not exactly around the corner. The tunnel is almost 5 miles long." Bonnie "Yes, I need to check the entire tunnel. I will be fine, my magic is stronger than ever." Bonnie paused, not knowing whether to explain that she now has her entire ancestry magic to tap into anytime she wanted to. All she had to do was call upon them, she had earned her place as the matriarch of Bennett magic. Sheila and the rest of the coven spirits had blessed her before Bonnie had woken. Bonnie took Caroline's hand "I was blessed by the Bennett Coven spirits, I have all the magic I need to protect myself. Now go, Elena needs us." With that reassurance, Caroline used her vamp speed, leaving Bonnie as she turned toward the burnt doorway that leads to Hell's Bell.

Caroline climbed into the car with Ric and the twins "Bonnie is ok, she is going to through the tunnel to make sure Hell is closed and Katherine is in it. We need to head to Mystic Falls High School with the twins to get Elena's body from the broiler room." Ric sounds relieved "Elena is alive?" Caroline "Bonnie told me, she felt the connection is still intact." Ric starts processing his thoughts out loud "Bonnie thinks the girls can siphon the barrier because they are Gemini, right? Regardless, of Kai being in the prison world or the Gemini leader, as Gemini, the twins have a better chance of siphoning Gemini magic, then she has of breaking the barrier spell or at least can do it quicker than she can." Caroline confirms his thoughts "That is more or less what she said. We should take Elena home, Bonnie can put a barrier spell on Damon's room to keep her safe until we can get a better plan together. I just hope this all works." The car turns the corner, a street light ray catches in her attention as it sparkles from her diamond engagement ring sitting on top of her wedding band on her finger. Caroline takes a deep breath. Ric hears the breath, he puts his hand over hers and squeezes. He knows not to say any words, she doesn't need him too. She has lost Stefan before, he knows Caroline grieves in her own way, and right now she has a task in front of her. Ric "We are almost there, you get the girls out of the car. I can pick the locks. We shouldn't break them, we don't want to bring to much attention to the break in. Matt has enough on his plate to explain." Caroline holds in the tears, "Your right, I didn't even think about how much Matt has to deal with over this." She always appreciates how Ric knows her, he never pressures a situation, now is not the time, she tells herself, Elena and Bonnie are still endanger, Katherine maybe still out there. Now is not the time to mourn her husband of one day, Stefan would want her to protect the family, their family, All of them. Family First.

Bonnie headed to down to the tunnel entry through the vault, she felt a warm sensation come over her body, she looked around, she didn't see anyone, her physic abilities were on high alert, her heart knew it was Enzo. Bonnie "Enzo, I'm on my way to the Bell, I have to find out what happened, make sure Katherine is really in Hell. I don't know, maybe see if Damon and Stefan survived by a miracle." She paused and felt pressure around her hand, as though someone was holding it. She continued talking out loud, "I'm so glad you are with me. I love you." She kept walking, using her cell phone light, she saw the charred walls, there were sparkles crystals that brighten the tunnels as she walked, chemistry she thought, that much heat created gemstones in the cave walls. Bonnie's witch was really working hard in her thoughts 'nature always finds a balance, something so evil creates something so beautiful.' Bonnie had been walking for over an hour, she had been using her magic to remove the blacken, scorched parts of the tunnel walls. Bonnie wanted to make sure if someone had found their way into the tunnels, they wouldn't wonder what had happened to create the scorch marks, Mystic Falls did not need more physical evidence of supernatural events. Bonnie smirked, and for Damon, she wouldn't let any part this battle with Katherine show, Katherine had lost, Bonnie wanted to make sure that Good would prevail, that history would show light not darkness was shining through Mystic Falls. Her best friend gave up his life, it would not be for nothing, he earned his peace, his goodness would be what people would see not the darkness of the woman who in the end could not destroy his humanity. She saw the glow from doorway outline, for a brief moment, she let hope that was in her heart fill her mind, she started to run, the words came out of her mouth quietly "please be alive both of you, one of you, Damon, Stefan, evil didn't get both of you... please."

Bonnie slowed as she reached the carved out archway to the church's underground cave, she exhaled deeply when she saw Damon laying face down on the ground. Her first though 'No stakes protruding, no scorch marks, he could be alive.' She ran to him, grabbing his shoulders, something was different, Damon was different. She touched his face, it was red and blotchy, he was feverish to the touch, he was sweating, he was breathing. Bonnie "Damon.. Damon.. wake up, open your eyes." Bonnie shook Damon, she looked around, where was Stefan, she looked on the ground, there were two sets of men's foot prints leading to the tunnels, only one broken shuffled set back. Stefan must have shoved Damon out of the way, Stefan took Damon's place in the line of hell fire with Katherine. Bonnie remembered her last conversation with Stefan "What do I need to do?" Stefan had made up his mind. Bonnie "Damn him", refocused back to Damon still in his wedding tux, she took his tie completely off and unbuttoned the top buttons, his breath was labored, and something else that she wasn't expecting at all, Damon was bleeding, she noticed a pin prick of blood was coming from his neck, she looked around. There it was, on the ground in the corner of the doorway, a syringe, with a red hue around the plunger. Bonnie was putting the pieces together, Stefan removed the cure from himself and gave it to Damon. Then he took Damon's place in the tunnel with Katherine, saving his brother and sacrificing himself to hell.

Bonnie cried as she held Damon in her lap, "It's going to be ok, you are going to be fine." She wasn't lying, Damon was in transition from vampire to human, the cure was working, based on what Elena described, this might take a while. Bonnie pulled out her cell and called Matt, "Matt, yes, I'm ok. I need your help. I found Damon. He's alive. I'm in the tunnel under the church." Bonnie paused to wipe the tears that had fallen down her cheek. "Stefan gave him the cure, Damon is transitioning to human. Matt, Stefan is gone. Katherine is too. It worked, Hell is closed and Katherine is officially in it for good. Can you come get us, I need help getting Damon home." Bonnie paused while Matt told her where he was and how long it would take him to get there "Ok, We are safe, we will be waiting. Damon is going to be out for a while." Bonnie brushed Damon's hair to the side and wiped some of the dirt from his check, "Ok, you big baby, Matt's on his way, he was half way here already. Just hang on. Don't you dare give up, Elena needs you. I need you. Care needs you. You are stuck with us whether you like it or not."

Caroline and the twins are standing in front of the broiler room door. Ric is on the other side of the doorway with Elena in his arms. Caroline talking to Bonnie on the phone, "Bon, we are at the high school, everything is quiet. Ric has Elena, she is ok. Let's get this spell down, so we can get Elena out here. What do we do now?" Bonnie "Since Kai spelled it, it's Gemini magic. The girls can siphon it, it's their family magic. It will be drawn to them. Put me on speaker." Caroline adjusted the phone so that the twins can hear and see their Auntie BeeBee "Hey my special little witch nieces. Are you girls ok?" Lizzie and Josie "Yes, Auntie BeeBee, it is dark and smells funny. There is a lady on the floor, is she hurt." Bonnie smiles and adds confidence to the tone of her voice "No, lovelies, she is another Auntie. She is Uncle D's special Princess. She is in a deep magical sleeping spell and we need to get her back to the house so that Uncle D can wake her up with a very special kiss that breaks magic sleeping spells. Now to make this happen we have to do some magic ourselves and I need your help. Remember how we worked together in the fire." The girls bob their heads up and down "Yes, that was not scary so much with you there" Lizzie said while holding Josie's hand. Bonnie "Mommy and Daddy are with you, there is nothing to be scared about, I promise, you are smart witches now. You can do this, all you have to do is repeat after me, you have done this before ok." The girls "OK" Bonnie "Each of you stand by Daddy and Auntie Elena, Lizzie can you hold Auntie Elena's hand and with your other hand hold Josie's hand. Josie you do the same thing with Auntie Elena's other hand and hold Lizzie's hand too. Let me know when you are ready for our special magic spell." Bonnie felt it when the girls connected to Elena, she wondered if she would be able to feel the boundary spell lift. Caroline was so proud of her daughters, "The girls are ready" Bonnie "Ok my lovelies, here we go repeat this _Merabas Hic Libatal, Confremun Signas. Omus Quisa Tentum Exalis, Merabas Hic Libatal. Confremun Signas. Omus Quisa Tentum Exalis._" The girls repeat each word one at a time, just as Bonnie says them. Bonnie "Ric, try to leave the room. See if you can get Elena out now." Ric picks up Elena and walks right out the door. The twins jump for joy "We did it, yeah." Josie "I'm going to tell Uncle D he can kiss her now." Bonnie looks down at Damon, she speaks into the phone, "I'm so proud of you girls. You can both tell him. Now go with Dad and get in the car, it's time to go home." Ric "Let's get out of here, I want to get everyone to the house, before we have more supernatural friends saying Hi from Hell."

Matt walks into the cave, he takes in the scene, Bonnie is sitting on the ground with Damon's head on her lap. Damon's face is covered with dirt, the front of his shirt, suit, and pants are also covered, and his tie is lying on the ground next to Bonnie's leg. Bonnie looks up at Matt with dried tear stains on her cheeks, he says in a hushed voice "Bon, is he alive" Bonnie "Yes, he hasn't moved. He is breathing, that is it," Matt goes to her, squats down and takes Bonnie's chin in his hand, "It's Damon, he is to much of a pain in our ass to completely die. He is going to around for centuries to torture our children and childrens children." Bonnie opened her other hand, Matt stared down at the empty syringe that laid in her flat palm "Stefan injected Damon with the cure before he daggered Katherine and went to Hell with her." She brushed Damon's hair "Damon is human." Matt took a moment to comprehend what that meant, "Bon, let's get him out of here." Matt took Damon by the arms, once Damon is upright, he puts his arm around Damon's waist and Damon's arm around his shoulder. Bonnie stood up, and grabs Damon's other arm and does the same when she hears Damon whisper "Magical kiss, you made me, Prince Fucking Charming."

Bonnie turns her head and looks at Damon. His sparkling sapphire blue eyes are blood shot and grey, they look like he was on a month long bender with no end in sight. Bonnie couldn't be happier, she let his arm go and twists into his body, hugging him as tight as she could. Bonnie was tearing up, holding onto Damon like her life depended on it, "You're going to be ok. You're alive. You're going to be ok. Everything is going to be ok." Damon is leaning on Donovan, his strength hasn't returned, he could feel his legs and arms now, "Ouch, Bon. I'm human, be careful, I bruise easy now." Bonnie loosened her grip and moved back into place underneath his arm, to help support his weight, "Can you walk?" Damon was moving his head slowly from Matt to Bonnie, "I'm working on it. My strength is coming back. I was paralyzed for a long time. I couldn't move when Stefan…" Damon closed his eyes and took a deep breath "Then the hell fire took him.. I couldn't move.. Bon. I couldn't do anything at all." Bonnie tried to comfort him, she knew what Stefan was going to do, she told Stefan about her magic, about the spell, the words 'Tell me what you need me to do?' came to her mind, those were some of the last words Stefan spoke to her, "I know Damon. I'm so sorry. Let's get you home. Caroline and Ric have Elena. They are on their way to the boarding house now. Let's get you back there too." Damon leaned on Matt and Bonnie walked out to the cars. Matt helped settle Damon into his Camero's passenger seat, Bonnie reached over and secured the seatbelt around him. Damon looked at the seatbelt as Bonnie got into the driver's seat and turned on the engine, "I'm human. Stefan is gone, my brother is dead. For 145 years, I could have loved him, been brothers with him, but no, my pride, my selfishness, my stupid anger, I wasted all that time. I miss him and it has only been hours. How am I going to deal with days, months, years?" There was a long moment where only the sound of the engine and the tires rolling along the roadway could be heard, Bonnie thinking of grief and pain of losing Enzo, she understood all the regret and the thoughts about wasted time. She knew the thoughts that were plaguing Damon's mind, as much as she wanted to say something comforting, she knew there wasn't anything that would lessen the pain he would feel from today on, so she said what she did to survive, "We deal with one moment at a time." Bonnie took Damon's hand, he looked into her eyes and saw her pain, knowing she exactly who she was thinking of. Damon turned his head toward the front window and stared at the illuminated roadway in front of them, "Moment One, here we come."

The twins run into the door of the Salvatore Mansion. Lizzie yells "Zio.. you smell funny" Caroline hears and vamp speeds through the door, she falls to her knees, tears flow down her face. Josie runs to her mother "Mommy did you fall. Where is your booboo? I can kiss it." Caroline takes her daughter in her arms "No baby, I didn't fall, I'm just so happy." She puts Josie down and walks to Stefan. She slams straight into the force field. Stefan smirks "I was hoping it was a one way kind a deal." Caroline put her hands up all over the barrier wall, as Ric walked in the door with Elena in his arms. Ric stumbles in shock from what he sees, he catches himself with Elena still in his arms, "You are not dead, how did that happen?" Stefan throws his arms up and shrugs his shoulders, "I have no idea. One minute, I have Katherine pinned and daggered on a one way trip to hell. The next I am falling on the rug Damon brought from Egypt. I really don't know. I'm burnt pretty good." Holding his arm up to show Caroline and Ric, Stefan started explaining what he knew "This arm was pinning Katherine's arm behind her, the hell fire had to go through her before it touched me. I still might need the coffin yet." Ric bounced Elena in his arms to re-adjust her from her slipping, "Where should I lay Elena down?" Caroline talks while staring at Stefan and clearly multi-thinking, "Damon's bed, she will be comfortable and safe. Bonnie can spell it when she gets here. Girls come here, Mommy needs you to do some more magic." The girls come running. Caroline puts her arms around her daughters, she cradles them close to her body "Do you remember what you did with Aunt BeeBee at the High School to get Auntie Elena and Daddy out of the broiler room?" The girls nod their heads yes. Caroline smiles and squeezes them "Can you feel the bubble that Zio is in?" The girls hold their hands out and each of them hit the barrier, their hand bounces back. The twins look at their mom with bright eyes, Caroline "You felt that, did it hurt at all?" Both girls shake their heads no. Caroline looks at each of them, "Do you remember how you siphoned the magic from the door that Daddy was in? Can you two try to do that again?" The girls are so excited, they get to use magic twice in one day, Mommy and Daddy are always telling them not to use their magic. Josie and Lizzie look at each other like they just hit a jackpot. Caroline says "Let's get ready, here are the words Auntie BeeBee had you say, ready?" The twin nod their heads. Caroline presses play on her phone " _Merabas Hic Libatal, Confremun Signas. Omus Quisa Tentum Exalis, Merabas Hic Libatal. Confremun Signas. Omus Quisa Tentum Exalis." _ The girls repeat the words, each put a hand on the barrier. A pink hue glows around each of their hands, and little sparks start to ignite. That startles Josie, "I don't like that" Caroline puts her hand up and touches the barrier "It's still there. That is weird." Ric comes in the room. Caroline "Did Jo ever talk about a type of magic that Kai couldn't siphon?" Ric "What, No. She said that was the problem, there wasn't a magic that Kai couldn't siphon all their binding spells from other covens or types of magic never worked on him. That is why they had to create the prison world for his and the worlds protection. Why do you ask?"

Bonnie and Damon pull up to the Salvatore Mansion, Damon "Moment 287 over. Moment 288 is going to be a bitch. I'm not sure how I can walk through doors." Bonnie smirks "How are your legs doing? You don't have to worry about walking if your legs are working yet." Damon looks at her with his signature evil eye. Bonnie winks "I'm your best friend, if I can't give you a bit of grief in a time of misery, who can?" Bonnie took Damon's hand and looked directly into his eyes, "You can walk into those doors because Elena is in there. Everything we do from this moment on is to get her back. You and me, we need her, not in 60 years, we need her.. NOW." Damon has very little strength, he squeezes Bonnie's hand back. Matt pulls up behind the Camero in his squad car. He walks over to Damon's door "Ok, Let's get you into the house. How's those legs? Feeling anything in them yet?" He pulls Damon to his feet and catches him as his knees buckle. Matt chuckles "Guess that answers that question." Damon puts his arm around Matt neck. Damon feeling very uneasy "Donovan, I owe you big time now" Matt sneers at Damon "Damon, you have always owed me big time. As a human, I can beat it out of you any time I want too. We are on equal play field now, old man." Damon wasn't sure if that was a threat or a promise.

Bonnie and Matt bring Damon in the doors of the Salvatore Boarding House, Caroline vamp speed to them, she picks up Damon "what's wrong with him?" Stefan answers "I gave him the cure. He is in transition." Caroline "Oh no" She understands what that means for Stefan, once the cure is out of his body, the aging process speeds up. Her mind races back to Katherine, when did Silas drink the cure from her, how many months was she alive before she took over Elena's body. Caroline looked at Stefan with a horrified look in her eyes.

Damon heard Stefan's voice, he looked up and saw Stefan standing in front of Elena's coffin, nothing registered in his mind other than his brother was standing, alive, saying words, breathing, Alive, and not in hell, Alive, "Stefan, your alive" he used all his strength to walk over to his brother, his arms extended, he lounged straight into the barrier spell, fell backwards to the floor and passed out.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Brothers Destiny

Chapter 3 - The Brothers Destiny

Lights were twinkling above his head, as he squinted his eyes open. His hands immediately covered his eyes, he thought 'this hangover was going to be a dousy'. Damon started to sit up, his eyes were focusing, he was surrounded by shadows and fog, lots and lots of fog, yet everything was brightly lit. There were bright sparkles of light that reminded him of lightning bugs but much brighter, everywhere. His vision was focusing on an outline of a figure, a man coming towards him. Damon stood, his senses were on alert, he shook his head in an attempt to clear out the cobwebs, and think more clearly, he flexed his fingers and readied them into a fist, preparing for that first punch to defend himself against an unknown enemy. The figure walked closer, the outline became clearer, it was an older man, then a voice came from him "Hello, my son. My name is Demetrius. Please do not be distressed, Damon. I assure you, I'm no threat to you. You are safe. If you allow me a little leeway, things are about to become much more clear. I realize that trust is not one of your strong suits. I have watched you struggle with it for over a century. I hope that now the human you can be a little more open minded, since you have seen more possibilities become real live facts. I would like to help you now, please. If I may, let's get you something to clear up some of this physic fog." Demetrius waved his hand over his other hand, an ancient terracotta drinking bowl ornately decorated with images of lotus fans, flowering vines and garden settings appeared, it was full of a sweet fermented smelling liquid, he takes a drink himself to prove it isn't poison, than hands it to Damon. "Please drink, it is a wine tonic of herbs and petals, it tastes quite good. I enjoyed partaking quite often when I was of the breathers." Damon stared awkwardly, "Breathers? Does that mean I'm dead!" Demetrius "No, No my son, you are very much alive and awakening more and more each moment. However, at this very second, your body is in a deep slumber and your subconscious is connected to your ancient bloodline while your powers are emerging fully." Damon "Powers? I'm transition to human. Stefan syringed me with the cure before he died or didn't die. At the moment, I'm very confused. I saw him burn up in the hell fire, then I saw him in our living room and I passed out. Now I'm talking to an old guy in a night gown. I have no idea what Stefan gave me now." Demetrius laughs "Oh Damon, I am so thrilled you and Stefan are the ones that proved your worthiness. Your wit has been so entertaining over the years. I have a story and information that you are going to need for your new destiny. I think we should be a little more comfortable. Would you mind if I borrow some of your powers has you haven't learned to use them yet." Damon is confused as Demetrius puts his hand on Damon's arm. A beautiful garden appears with flowers, stone lounges with down pillows and ostrich feather fans, the entire scene was out of an ancient Greece movie, that you expected Angela Jolie to star it. Damon watches this man, dressed in an ancient costume that fit perfectly in the scene, off white long linen gown with a long purple vest outlined in gold embroidered leaf detailed sit down on the lounge, he crossed his legs with leather sandals on his feet. Damon couldn't help but think this is definitely a movie set.

Demetrius "Thank you, now, let's seat. And I will start to explain. From the look on your face, you have many many questions. I have been watching over you and Stefan all of your lives, I understand how inpatient you can be. So I do ask that you indulge an old man. I do promise that it will be well worth you patience and your time. Stefan and Elena will benefit greatly from the information you will learn from our time together." Damon's attention immediately turned to his new companion, his eyes no longer roamed around the garden, they focused direct on Demetrius the instant Elena's name came out of his mouth. Demetrius continued "First of all, let me properly introduce myself, I am Demetrius, son of Galenus, a direct descent of the Goddess Gaia. This is also very important for the story." Demetrius took a moment preparing for Damon's reaction to the next bit of information, "I'm also older brother of the ex-immortal witch Silas." Damon stands up "YOUR WHO!" Demetrius knew the reaction would be swift and dramatic "Son, please, sit down, Silas is very gone. I am not revengeful. You and Stefan did what had to be done to protect your family and the world. Silas dying was the right thing." Demetrius has never said those words out loud, even though his heart had said them many times. "Silas was never deserving of his magic, or the power his magic brought him. I was to blinded by the brother bond and my love for Qetsiyah to see what doom his deceitful, ambitious lies were heading for. I made many mistakes. My mistakes are part of the blame that lead to many of the reasons that caused the consequences that have led to Elena's, Stefan and your destiny." Damon stopped and sat back down "Elena destiny?" Demetrius relaxed a bit, knowing he had Damon's attention again, "Yes, she is as involved in this as Stefan and Bonnie." Demetrius again paused, he needed Damon to focus. "For now, Damon, please, let me continue. I promise you need to know the history of this story to understand why and how your next moves impact your destiny. This is for Stefan and Elena's future as well as your own." Damon sat down, folded his arms across his chest and listened. Demetrius told the story of Damon's father Giuseppe was born of the ancient magical Greek bloodline. He also speaks about magic has been dormant for over 5 generations, there has not been a practicing witch in his bloodline since 1680, in Italy. He explains the ancient history of their magic from Gaia the Goddess of all the Earth and Elements. Their pure magic is not based in blood, it is powered by in love and nature's elements. How Gaia passed her magic on to her children through the elements of earth, water, wind, fire. The elements are the energy sources of modern witches, how modern witches do not understand how pure magic works, where real power comes from, how human love is the energy to their magic, the essence of its power.

Demetrius continued the story into his lifetime. His story began with the magic of him and Silas. They share the element magic and as brothers they as had a special magical bond. The brotherly love they had for each created a special magical bond that became actual magic. Demetrius toned saddened, his eyes had an almost longing look in them as he spoke "When we united our magics, our brother bond created a power that was stronger than even Gaia could imagine. It was our love for one another that gave our magic that power, our brother bond magic. Every evil we encountered, we destroyed. We were unstoppable. We brought a peace to our people like they had never known before. It was a time of great joy. Other covens approached us in peace. Even covens that were long thought to be as powerful as ours, that is when Qetsiyah entered our lives. As to who met her first, Silas had thought he did, in actuality I did. She was the daughter of the high priest Matai, from the most powerful blood magic coven. Matai sent Qetsiyah and a few priest to create an alliance with us. He hoped to join the two most powerful types of magics together. He wanted a ritual, he hoped a marriage and a child with the blood of both magics." Demetrius stopped, it seemed his memories were overwhelming for the moment "She was such a beautiful sight, leaning over the water stream, cooling herself, the beads of water running down her arm, neck. I still remember the way the rays of the sun make them sparkle off her skin. It is terrible how memories plague even a man as old as I am." Demetrius continued "I was out with soldiers along our borders when we came across her convoy. They introduced themselves and we escorted them into the city. The commander in charge took them to meet my brother Silas. He took one look at Qetsiyah and fell madly in love. Or at least thought he did." Demetrius again paused in reflection.

As Damon listened to the story of his magical ancestry, he couldn't help but look this man's features, this ancient ancestor. Damon stared at Demetrius with a 'so I'm related to you' glare, looking for some physical similarities, since Stefan is Silas doppelganger, shouldn't he have some similar features to Demetrius. Demetrius hair is completely silver, it could have been raven black, like his when Demetrius was younger, his eyes, are blue, they definitely had a sparkle, not quite the Damon 'eye thing' but he could tell Demetrius had an 'eye thing' of his own going on, he wasn't a bad looking guy for an ancient one. Damon also noticed the chin, they had the same chin, Damon has always wondered about his chin, where it came from, Stefan had Giuseppe's chin, Damon's wasn't Lily's chin, Damon was looking directly at his chin, he finally knew he had his great great great times 200 grandfathers chin, Damon laughed out loud, catching Demetrius attention "Damon, did I miss something?". Damon says with a sparkle in his voice "I'm your doppelganger of sorts, aren't I?" Demetrius smirks "Not an exact copy, but yes, there are quite a few similarities, both physically and personality characteristics. Why do you ask?" Damon chuckles "No big reason, just trying to put all the karma puzzle pieces in to play." Damon smiled knowing Demetrius had no idea what he was thinking about, "So you were saying about Silas and Qetsiyah" getting Demetrius back on track.

Demetrius "Yes, when Silas told me that he loved Qetsiyah. I stepped aside. Then Silas told me of their plan to unite the magics, Blood and Earth magic by a magical marriage. To do so, I had to relinquish my magic to him, he had to control all elements. My love for my brother, my love for Qetsiyah, I did it. I gave him control over my elements. And you know the story after that. They made the immortality potion, Silas gave it to Amara. The part that Silas didn't know, when he took the immortality potion, he lost his magic. Neither of them, Qetsiyah nor Silas realized that becoming immortal meant they could not be witches. Nature's balance! All of his power transferred to Qetsiyah. She became quite a problem, as you realized when she crossed over. In my time, our entire coven came together, we made the decision to create a spell that destroyed our coven and our magic. We fractured our magic into little pieces with types of magnets that repelled itself. The outcome is what you have in modern day witchcraft, little covens that are able to practice different types of magic, some witches can do illusions, others can teleport, others can heal, others have control over fire. By destroying our coven, we took Qetsiyah power away from her. She lived the rest of her life with her powers bound, she had children who practiced, her bloodline was cursed, only those who proved worthy had their powers awaken, like your friend Bonnie. Qetsiyah bloodline is always faded to find our bloodline, our powers are drawn to each other. It is believed that Qetsiyah, myself and Silas were destined to the high priests of all magic. That Gaia has foretold of The Brother Love bond to join the sister of blood to bring peace to all magic on earth. In my time, it was thought, we were those three, you see Silas and I were, at one time, the best of friends, just like you and Stefan in 1864." Damon adds "Then Qetsiyah changed all that, just like Katherine changed it with us in 1864." Demetrius "Our stories played out quite differently, I stepped completely aside for Silas, Qetsiyah took things in her own hands. I actually was the one that orchestrated her demise, my blood was key to binding her powers as well. I, absolutely had a family and continued the bloodline. You and Stefan's story was sidelined because of Katherine, Emily Bennett was the real part of your destiny, not Katherine. Your ancestors were sending Emily Bennett, a witch from Qetsiyah's bloodline to you and Stefan in hopes that she would be able to sense the connection to your magical bloodline. We knew the doppelganger blood connection was also there between Katherine and Stefan, I knew that, I just didn't realize that Katherine, was, well Katherine. That she would use it as a weapon and play you and Stefan against each other the way she did. I had never seen the Doppelganger connection used in an evil way before."

Demetrius paused, he didn't know whether or not this was the time to start the explanation about how important the doppelganger blood is and will be to their power. "The doppelganger blood connection has always been for the benefit of each other, for good, a pure connection that lasts throughout their lifetime. When Katherine's motives were nothing but self-serving, that surprised everyone, no one had seen that ever. 100's of doppel couples spanning over 2,000 years, not one self serving person until Katharina Petrova or Katherine Pierce. "

Damon forehead wrinkled, his face crinkled from deep thought, "I'm trying to follow this doppelganger thing, you are telling me these two doppelgangers, find each other, then spend their entire lives loving each other with 'purest love', benefiting each other." Damon pauses for a moment "Why didn't it work with Stefan and Elena, why didn't she stay in love with Stefan?" Demetrius "Why do you think it didn't work?" Damon's tone of changed, he was getting heated and confused "Elena picked me, she is completely in love with me, with no doubts. She picked me as a vampire and again as a human. When she wakes up, we are getting married, we are going to be together until 'death do us part', we are going to be together forever. And Stefan is completely in love with Caroline. She is his everything, they are meant for each other. Stefan is at peace with himself with Caroline, I've never seen him happier, more Stefan. Stefan has earned true love, true happiness, no Doppel crap is going to take that away from him."

Demetrius smiles as Damon waging war for his brother's happiness. "My son, all that you have spoken is completely true. What you fall to comprehend is the magic of doppelganger blood. The magic was never about romantic love or what you think of as true soul mated love, the magic is a force that draws the doppel blood together, it is about bring the two bloods close together always. You already know how powerful the doppelganger blood is when the two bloods are brought together, the travelers spell covered all of Mystic Falls, that is power is what brings the doppelganger together and keeps them together through their lives. That connection isn't pre – defined as romantic love, I see it as friends, siblings, and lovers. I would imagine, Qetsiyah left that part of the story out of her story, it would make it easier for her to be a true victim. Yes, through history the doppelgangers have always found their way into each other's lives. And yes, they have been romantic lovers, but not all, some of the most successful doppel connections have been cousins, completely platonic, they have created the most powerful ruling allies nations." Damon stared out into the sky for a moment, he shook his head. Demetrius could tell this was overwhelming for Damon to comprehend "Damon, Elena picked you, because you complete her in a way that Stefan never could. Just like Caroline completes Stefan in a way that Elena never can. You, my dear boy, were the one that needed help, you and Stefan needed to find your way back to one another. Elena was the means to get you two there. She was drawn to Stefan because of being a doppelganger, they are always going to be in each other's life. It is the reason why he could never leave Mystic Falls, even after she chose you. It was also the reason why she had such a hard time choosing in the first place. She couldn't imagine living a life without Stefan in it. For her young mind, she didn't understand the difference between love and being in love. Until she turned, as a vampire, her love for you was so heightened that she was able to feel the difference between her love for Stefan and being in love with you." Damon paused for a long moment and tried to wrap his head around all that was being said, the concept of Stefan and Elena not being the universal faded doppelcouple that he destroyed was almost too crazy to entertain, he knew everyone was completely past this now and happily coupled, but still all the pain and betrayals that were felt on the way to the happy coupling could have been avoided with this bit of information. Damon was getting a steamed "Let's get back to the story, I need to wake up."

Demetrius "You and Stefan have proven your worthiness, Gaia has chosen you to bring Nature's magic back together to bring peace back to Earth. When Stefan gave you the cure, he unknowingly gave you the immorality cure from my time that was purified through both Elena's and Stefan's doppelganger blood magic. Once it entered your blood stream, your magic was awakened. Your power elements are Earth and Wind, you have been the protector, your entire life. You have protected Stefan from everyone, Giuseppe, WWII, Egypt, and then Elena, once you set your eyes on her, which I have another theory about, you have been her protector, and now your list just keeps growing. Stefan's elements are Water and Fire, which makes complete sense given that he has lived his life in one extreme or the other. Damon, you and Stefan are the Gaia Element Brother High Priest Witches."

Caroline with both palms on Damon's temples, opens her eyes "I can't get in, I know he is human, I can smell his fresh blood flowing. I can hear his heartbeat. Why can't I get in his mind?" She had moved him from the floor to the couch. Stefan says weakly, "Maybe it is the effects of the cure, maybe he is still in transition." It has been 3 hours since Damon lost consciousness, Stefan's wounds are inflamed, the infection was starting to set in. Stefan thought that it also might have something to do with not having the cure in his system, his body could not fight a wound like this, he wasn't sure he could survive this. Bonnie walks in the door with her arms full of Grimoires, "I brought everything I could find from Jonah's collection and what Ric could find from the Armory. Jeremy and Matt are on their way with more ingredients for all sorts of spells." Bonnie looks at Stefan "Stefan, hold on" Stefan "Bonnie, it's ok. I'm ready. I'm sorry, I don't deserve your help." Bonnie "Stefan, shut up. We are going to get through this. I will get to hate you later, and you will get to make it up to me for the rest of your human life. You have already promised that to me. Don't you dare give up. I am not living with a human Damon with no Elena and no Stefan." Bonnie drops the Grimoires on the floors, stands over them, she starts to chant "Omus Tentum Libatal signas" four Grimoires open. Bonnie "Ok, Let's start with these. Care, come help me" Caroline looks down at Damon, she caresses the side of his face and covers him with a blanket. Caroline "Ok, what do I do?" Bonnie "Take a Grimoire, read the spell, start getting the ingredients together, put them in front of the Grimoire." Caroline uses vamp speed to start gathering ingredients from the kitchen and outside. Jeremy and Matt walk in the door, Matt "Bon, we stopped by your place and got everything from your text." Bonnie "Thank you, can you bring them over here and put them out." Jeremy "What's up with Damon?" Caroline "We aren't sure, yet. He is breathing and very much alive." Jeremy "Where's Elena? Is she safe?" Bonnie "She is very safe, she is in Damon's room, I have spelled it, you can go in, her blood can enter safely." Jeremy turns to go upstairs. Bonnie goes back to the Grimoires, she starts mixing the first list of ingredients, "I'm ready…. Merabas Hic Libatal, Confremun Signas, Omus Quisa, Tentum Exalis, Merabas Hic Libatal, Confremun Signas, Omus Quisa, Tentum Exalis." Bonnie reaches for Stefan, but hits the barrier "Damn it" She kicks that Grimoire out of the way, and picks up the next one.

Demetrius "You have built yourself a strong family unit, Damon. Right now, they are working on freeing Stefan from the spell you cast and waking you. They do not accept defeat for anything, my son. That is true proof of your worthiness." Damon "So get me back there, I need to help, I need to fix this. Tell me how to do it." Demetrius "You and your brother's destiny will start as soon as you waken, as will your friend Bonnie. She doesn't realize that her destiny is intertwined with the brothers as much as Elena's is with Stefan's." Damon "What does that mean?" Demetrius "When Qetsiyah created the other side, it was created because of her jealousy of Silas's love for Amara. The magic she used created an unbalance in nature that is why, she needed an anchor to absorb the pain of crossing over. The veil was pure jealousy, pure negativity, these are the two qualities to attract evil at the purest level. This is what your destiny will be, to fight for balance, you, Stefan and Bonnie will have to battle evil to keep the balance. That requires bringing the all the magics together. What you and Stefan did tonight, both of you willing to sacrifice, you willing to sacrifice your future with Elena for not just her safety, but Stefan, everyone and the entire town of Mystic Falls. You were willing to die for them, Damon, the ultimate proof of love for your brother. You sent him out of the tunnel, to live, to be with his wife, you gave up your future happiness with the love of your life, Elena. At that moment you were thinking of the town, of everyone not just your brother, your heart was protecting Stefan and only Stefan. And likewise, when Stefan, chose to give you the cure and take your place, his heart was full of only you, his brother. Through those sacrifices you both made, the act of selflessness and brotherly love, you both broke the final barrier of the spell that was created so many millenniums ago." Damon didn't quite understand "Stefan is still dying. Without the cure in him, Stefan is going to die soon. How are we supposed to accomplish all this magical collection as brother witches with Stefan dying." Demetrius "Stefan is a witch, once his powers are restored, he doesn't need the cure. His powers will solve that issue. Your lives as The Gaia Element Brothers High Priest give you a longer than normal human life span. You will likely see the birth of your great grandchildren. You must restore Stefan's powers." Damon still his skeptical self "Ok, I believe you. How do I make witchy stuff happen? What do I do to save Stefan?" Demetrius is amused with his great grandson, "You've already done it. You sent him to the safest place you could think of a place that Bonnie had kept Elena safe for years, Elena's coffin. You used your magic already. You also created a protection barrier that Bonnie is trying to lower as we speak. You cast with your love of Stefan, using the earth you were laying on as the energy and the bond you have with Stefan as the fire, his energy element, touch his skin. To lower the barrier spell, you will need to channel your wind and he will need to channel his water for the energy to power the spell and the magic comes from the love you have for one another. Do you understand how your magic works? It isn't about words or chants, it's about love and a feeling, the Gaia is the Mother of Earth, and she encompasses love, Damon, selfless, pure love. It is what you have for Stefan, Elena and Bonnie, you have the ability to channel that love for each and every spell you will ever need to cast."

Damon was completely overwhelmed "From my heart, Demetrius, feelings aren't really my thing. Elena, she is the only one that has been able to get me to feel. I'm selfish, that is my thing, I'm impulsive, I do all the wrong things for the right reasons. Demetrius, I've killed my best friend, twice, just because, I didn't like that he was telling me the truth. I actually killed my brother's best friend because I tricked her in the 70's, I've taken life, human life, a true serial killer for my own personal gain, because I was bored, how can I be a protector of the balance for good." Damon bares his soul honestly for the first time to someone other than the 3 people that he has just been told have a destiny intertwine with his. Stefan, Elena and Bonnie are the only people on this earth he has shared his most intimate thoughts, insecurities with and Demetrius has just finished telling him, these 3 people have been pre-destined to be in his life, to battle with him, his thoughts race through all the times they have already done that, all the battles and wars they have fought against each other, side by side and for one another. Damon could see it now, the 4 of them were linked, something always kept each of them from walking away completely, during every event, every hard time each one face, a voice inside said 'turn around, go back, save them', how many times had Bonnie saved his life, Elena saved Stefan, he saved Bonnie, on and on. Yes, they were linked. Damon still doesn't think he is the right choice, "I'm not the right guy, Bonnie, Stefan, Elena, those are your heros. My brother, he's even got the hero hair down. I'm the guy that did all those things, for all those selfish reasons, most of all, if you've watched me all these years, you've seen the incredible amount of pain I've caused. You know the death, the destruction, the evil I'm capable of." Demetrius nodded as though he was reading Damon's mind, "For all those reasons, Damon, because you have battled evil, the evil within you. You have battled and won the hardest battles you will ever face, your own demons. You know what the face of evil looks like, and you know what the face of good looks like. You are the perfect choice, you can find the ones that are redeemable, the ones that can be saved. There isn't just one way to heaven, my friend. If Cade, could feed hell, why can't we feed heaven? Balance exists, Peace exists, and redemption exists. You, my son, earned yours. Help other earn theirs. This is your destiny, it is your mission. It is why you have lived the life you have. I'm so proud of you. Now go, it is your turn to save Stefan. My son, do not stop at him, your power can also right the wrongs that should not have been. Save Elena. And you can also save Bonnie from a life she doesn't not need to live. "


	4. Chapter 4 - Saving My Brother

Chapter 4 – Saving My Brother

Damon opens his eyes, he is laying on the couch in the living room. He sits up to see Stefan crumbled on the floor under Elena's coffin. Bonnie is chanting a spell, touches the barrier, "Hell" throws a grimoire, turns around, walks to the table where another grimoire, with ingredients are gathered. Damon seeing her wipe blood away from her nose. He knows she is exhausting her magic. He sits up, he is a lightheaded. Caroline vamp speed to him "Damon, can you hear me." Damon "Yes, Blonde, I have human hearing, I'm not deaf." He stands up and heads over to Stefan. "Stefan. What's wrong with him?" Caroline "Nearest we can figure out, the burns have caused an infection, he has a fever. We can't get to him to get him medical care. Bonnie, is trying every spell she can." Damon "Bonnie, stop, they aren't going to work. None of them are going to work. It isn't that type of magic. It's brothers magic powered element energy." Bonnie and Caroline look at Damon like he is crazy, he looks at Stefan, he is so weak, he is shivering, and sweating, Damon has seen this so many times before on the battlefields of the civil war. Damon starts to unravel, his emotions of guilt, fear, and frustration are channeling the "old" Damon. He grabs the table in front of him and turns it over, glass crashes to the floor. He looks up and sees all of his friends, he thought "No, my family" looking at him. His stare back at them revealed the pain in his heart. Caroline walks over to him and wraps her arms around him saying "Bonnie is going to figure out how to get to him." Damon feels it, the love coming from Caroline, straight to his heart. He remembers all that Demetrius says, his words shock everyone "I cast the spell that has Stefan trapped, I'm the witch/warlock who has to undo the spell". He continues the explanation about Demetrius and Silas, the curse, the cure, Amara and doppelgangers. Damon paused for a moment, he looks at his friends, who haven't said a word. "Trust me, I know exactly what you are thinking and it isn't anything I didn't already think and told my great 200 times grandfather Demetrius. The important thing is. I can fix this. I just have to figure out how."

Damon starts thinking out loud. If Bennett blood and power can't help, her knowledge can. He talks directly to Bonnie "Demetrius says that our bloodline's magic is pure magic directly from Gaia Earth Element. The 4 elements are divided between the brothers, and that love is our core magic. Stefan's are Fire and Water, which make sense since he has always had such a problem with finding a gray area in life, living off the edge is where Stefan had to be. Demetrius said mine are Earth & Wind. I cast the spell while I was on the ground and when the fire touched Stefan. If we use the other elements we will be able to lower the barrier. I have to channel wind and Stefan water. Water.. Stefan…"

Damon's thoughts continued, our love was the power, I was connected to the earth, and Steph connected to fire. Then, if I'm connected to wind/air and Stef is connected to water…. His thoughts stopped as he heard a familiar voice…

"That's it Damon – Keep going you're almost there. You have it almost figured out." How can I be hearing Enzo's voice. Damon looks up and sees the transparent outline of Enzo's body standing in front of Bonnie. He could see Bonnie clearly through Enzo. His mind races to a conversation with Demetrius "Your love sent him here". Just as Bonnie's love for Enzo made/sent Enzo into his own personal ghostly plain.

Damon let out a soft, confused tone "Enzo, you're here". Bonnie walks over to Damon, walking right through Enzo. Damon watches as Enzo's outline turns shades of blue. Enzo continues to speak "Damon, you got it, Mate" Damon starts to speak directly to Enzo, as if he was in physical form that all the others could see. Damon starts repeating the story that he heard of the events that lead to Stefan killing Enzo. He asks "When Bonnie created your plain, where were you two?"

The room stayed quiet, they heard Damon clearly, saw Damon looking in the direction of the bookshelf. The pause was deafening. Damon was the only one to hear Enzo's response "on the ground, in the dirt" Damon continued "Do you remember if Bonnie's tears fell on your body?" The answer came from Bonnie "Yes", she paused "Is Enzo here? Are you speaking directly to him?" Damon looked at Bonnie, standing right next to him, he put his arm around her and open his mouth to speak. Bonnie's eye filled with tears, she cried "Enzo, I see you!" She moved to go to Enzo, as Damon's grasp released her, Enzo disappeared. She moved back into Damon's arms and Enzo reappeared. Bonnie looked up into Damon's eyes and said "You have magic". Bonnie immediately realized as long as Damon was holding her completely, she could use his magic to see Enzo.

Back to the challenge at hand, Damon's mind races – I used my love for Stefan to bring him here and trap him (he corrects himself – protect him). Fire & Earth are protecting Stefan, so does that mean Water & Wind will free him? And his magic? "Wind, isn't a problem" looking at Bonnie, "You can conjure up a bit of a breeze, in here?" Bonnie nods her heads, yes.

"Water is the problem, alright everyone, how do we get Stefan to touch water, threw a force field that nothing can get through." All sorts of ideas are spoken. Then Ric voice says "tears". All the voices in the room immediately quiet. Ric continues "What if Stefan were crying? The tears are water and they are on his skin."

Clearly, Damon did not use his devilish sarcasm, responses "Finally, a reason to be thankful my brother is world biggest sap." "Great idea, Ric"

This can work, we need to create a ritual, a magical ritual. Damon became very uneasy, he realized he knew nothing of magic. He'd been a vampire for 173 years, asking that mind compulsion, feeding, taking human life, but magic. He tried hard to remember things that Emily had taught him, the spells that Bonnie had conjured. All this magic that he was trying to remember was Bennett magic, not his magic. He needed Demetrius.

"Demetrius, please show yourself, I don't know what to do, I need to learn." Damon said out loud, tired of all the thoughts staying in his head. He watched as all his friends stared at him. Demetrius appeared "My son, now you are ready to understand and accept who you are! You are now ready to be a Priest and Protector of Nature's Magic." Demetrius starts with the ingredients needed for the ritual, time was of the essence. As Demetrius spoke, so did Damon, he repeated everything and assigned tasks. "Caroline, go to the Quarry, and into the cave off the north falls, you will need to mine the jasper quartz from the east side of the cave, we need 8 pieces at least 4 inches round.. Go" Caroline looked at Damon with her geez Damon look, then turned and vamped out the front door.

"Bonnie, we need maple leaves, rosemary, pine needles, mixed with salt. We need enough to make a circle around the coffin and me. "

"Ric, Stefan spent the entire summer drowning in the quarry, his essence is still part of that water, get water from the quarry and find the safe that he was locked in. I will need to consecrate the water in the safe, so we can use it outside the force field as Stefan's essence."

Damon and Demetrius continue to talk and practice the incantations for the ritual, until Ric calls. Damon sets out to meet Ric at the safe.

Ric is waiting by the safe in the woods with the water from the quarry. Damon arrives, "If Nadia weren't dead, I'd kill her for bringing this damn safe way out here. All medications have side effects, couldn't the cure have one, like leaving vamp speed or strength, just something vamp'y!" Ric responds "still adjusting to non-vamp life?" Damon looks at him, "Can't say that I have any regrets, however, yes, it takes a lot longer to do things, as we know patience was never one of my virtues."

Damon puts the water into the safe, he closes his eyes and repeats the words that Demetrius taught him. The wind starts to swirl, the trees are swaying, the flowers begin the blossom, all of nature brightens. Ric is startled by what is happening around him, Damon, the ex-vampire, turned nature's witch is making this amazing growth happen. Just woww. Then, Damon begins to hover over the safe just a few inches, the water begins to hover with him. Damon opens his eyes and looks to the bucket, in which the water came from, as if the water was following a direct command, it followed Damon's eyes into the bucket. Then Damon's feet were back on the forest floor. "Ok, now that is done, let's head back to the house." Damon turns to Ric. Ric still not quite believing his eyes, walks behind his friend.

Ric and Damon walk into the front door, both Bonnie and Caroline were waiting. Caroline was standing closest to Stefan. She looked up at Damon, her eyes were filled with worry. Her mouth opened, and said "His heartbeat is getting weaker, Damon." Damon walked over to her, put his arms around her and whispered "Sister, he is going to be just fine, I promise".

The ritual preparation starts, each one of them has their task. Each task has to be done just so, and with every ounce of love in their souls. Damon made sure to impress upon each one of them how important it was to channel the love they have for each other as they were completing all the prep work. The salted earth circle was laid, Damon placed the consecrated water is in the consecrated bowl inside the circle, than he stands inside the circle, but close enough to the edge so he could be touched by the others. Damon had told everyone exactly what was going to happen, exactly what they needed to do, and most importantly, exactly what to feel. Damon looked worried, he tried to make his voice encouraging "I get it, coming from me, it just sounds wrong, but you have to feel it, it is the only emotion that this magic can channel, love. It you can't feel it for Stefan, feel it for Elena or someone else. Put it into your heart and keep it there."

Caroline kneeled behind Damon, and put her hands on his head. He felt her touch, and put his hands over hers "Are you ready? Remember, what you are looking for, once I connect with Stefan's subconscious start the images, Caroline, you have to be cut throat, hit all his emotional hot buttons. Care, you can't show any mercy. Stefan has to break. You have to do everything I told you." Caroline response "Damon, I understand. I'm ready".

Bonnie, Ric, Jeremy, Caroline surround the circle. Damon turns around to face Stefan and sits down, he looks at Bonnie and nods his head. Bonnie begins conjuring the wind, a slow breeze blowing within the room. Damon puts his hands in the bowl of consecrated water on his lap and begins to chant the words that Demetrius is saying. His hands swirl the water between his fingers, his mind clears, his heart opens, and the words coming from his mouth take on a life of their own. Damon feels his soul being pulled through his heart from his body, first upstairs towards Elena, the outline of his spirit self stops, it hovers, and returns to the circle, it stops over Stefan. Damon can see through his spirit's eyes, he is looking down on his brother's body, he wills his spirit downward and plunges into Stefan's body. He is connected to Stefan.

Caroline sees everything that is happening through Damon's mind, she knows it's her turn. She starts the images; First image; She and Stefan are walking down the street and she stops, grabs his arm, looks into his eyes and faints into his body. He grabs her, scared what is happening, and why is his vampire wife unconscious. He is able to carry her into the car, she opens her eyes. He asks what happened, she doesn't know. She felt dizzy and then nothing. He says "We need Bonnie. She can cast a spell to find out what is going on". Caroline responds "I'm fine. I just haven't drank enough this week." Stefan rushes them home. Brings her into the house, with overwhelming concern, helps her to the couch. He goes downstairs to the blood cooler and get her a blood bag. Back upstairs in the great hall, leaning on the floor next to her, "Drink this" as he hands it to her. She takes it and smiles, "My, you're one bossy husband!" He watches her drink the entire bag.

The next Image: Stefan and Caroline are lying in bed. She is fatigued, he is looking at her, and worried, why are you so tired. You are always the first one out of bed, starting on your daily to do list. She bolts from bed to the bathroom and throws up. He follows her, she is at the sink by the time he reaches the bathroom door. She has her hand on her stomach and her eyes are looking there through the mirror. She looks up at him. "If feels just like, when I was pregnant with the girls." "I can't be pregnant?" Caroline moves her hair from her ears, and then she hears it, she hears the heart beat, a single heart beat. She realizes, she is pregnant. "OMG, I'm pregnant... AGAIN. I can hear it's heart beat." Stefan looks at her in wonder, Bonnie, we need Bonnie. That is the only logical thought that comes through his mind.

Bonnie arrives, they tell her what spell Valerie had done last time to locate the twins. Caroline wonders if they can do the same thing to find the father or mother.

Bonnie gets the map and Caroline bleeds onto it. Bonnie begins the chant. The blood begins to flow off the end of the map and it covers a photo of Caroline and Stefan. Bonnie looks at Stefan & Caroline, Stefan says "I don't understand, it didn't work?"

Bonnie responds "It worked, you and Caroline are the mother & father." Both of them says "No" at the same time. Bonnie is determined to prove it. She takes Stefan's hand and cuts, blood runs into a pool on the table. She does the same with Caroline's blood. She starts to chant again, the blood from the photo retreats away from the photo, it begins to divide going toward Stefan's blood pool and Caroline's. Just as some of Caroline's pool begins to go toward Stefan's blood pool.

Damon walks into the room, Bonnie looks up at him and tells him what is going on. Damon "Awesome, Brother, you knocked up your wife. Good job".

Image #3: Caroline's baby bump has popped, and the food cravings are there. Stefan puts his hand on her stomach and feels the baby kick. He brings her pickles and cream cheese, he calms her down when she starts crying over a dead bird in the road.

She looks in the mirror naked, and he walks in the door, he has never seen such a beautiful sight in his entire life. Caroline sees him and says "Don't look, I'm so fat, I can't believe how fat I've gotten. I don't know how you stand to look at me." Stefan walks over to the mirror, puts his arms around her swollen body and squeezes, he looks in the mirror with tears in his eyes and says "I have never ever seen a more beautiful sight in my entire life as you are in the exact moment." He feels his child kick at the same time. "Our child agrees with me". The baby moves some more, Caroline's entire stomach deforms for a moment. And she arches in pain, as her water breaks. Stefan carries her to the bed, Caroline is in labor. This is nothing like what happen with the twins, no siphoning, just labor pains. Caroline isn't scared, she is telling him everything is ok, she wants to stay at home, right here and have the baby. They had been through the Lamaze classes, Stefan had read everything there was on childbirth. He was going to prepared for everything. He was so unprepared, he was scared, he didn't know what to do, he was a mess. Caroline was calm, she reminded him of the towels, water, string, and scissors. Caroline knew it was happening fast, she sat up and told Stefan, "It's time, I have to push." She started pushing, Stefan held her hand, mopped her brow. It felt like hours, but only minutes had passed, Caroline told Stefan to get ready, their child was almost here. With one last push Caroline said "Get ready, Jacob is coming!" Out slide the most perfect little boy, 10 fingers, 10 toes and 1 little guy.

Damon "Bonnie NOW!" Bonnie raises her arms and gathers the breeze into a full gust, turning the gusts of wind circling around the group as the tears begin to fall from Stefan's eyes. All of a sudden the images stopped.


	5. Chapter 5 - Our Brother Bond is Power

Chapter #5 – Our Element Magic, Our Brother Bond Power

Damon opened his eyes slowly, he felt like he had been hit by a train. He groaned, he felt something hold his arm down. It wasn't something, it was a hand, it was Stefan's hand. Stefan was sitting in a chair right next to the bed. Stefan was ok, Stefan is alive, I did it, were the thoughts that raced through Damon's mind. "Hello, Brother" came out of Damon's mouth. Stefan opened his eyes, "Hello, Brother, I've missed you."

Damon sat up and noticed he wasn't alone in bed, Elena was laying next to him. He turned to Stefan. Stefan smiled "Well, my brother, you can't seem to get a handle on these protection spells." Damon looked completely confused, Stefan laughed, "You didn't have much faith in Bonnie's protection spell's integrity apparently. Once the force field was broken, you cast a cloaking spell. No one could see you or Elena, except for me. We figured out, because of our magic, I can see you and your spells. Bonnie can't find you with a locator spell. When I was revived, I was able to see you. Bonnie thinks it is because of brother connection to magic. I see Elena clearly when I'm touching you, not just an outline, if I'm on my own.

"Are you ok? Is she ok? What's going on? How long have I been out?" Damon asks. Stefan "I'm doing much better. Bonnie did a healing spell and I got a few antibiotics from the doctor. I'm not 100%, I'm on the mend. Elena is ok, as far as we know, I think you can figure that out better than anyone else. What do you feel from her? Caroline can't get a read on her, you've cloaked her well, even when I put Caroline's hand on Elena, Care can't read her thoughts either. Finally, you've been out for 2 days. So, you want to explain to me, how you are a witch now?"

Damon gets out of bed and walks to the other side. He touches Elena's cheek, he feels her love and smiles. She is ok, she is alive.

Bonnie walks into the room, "How's he doing, any change?"

Damon says "Bon Bon, I'm still here to irritate you for the rest of your life!"

"She can't see you, Cloak Master." Stefan says with a smile.

Damon "Oh yeah, I guess I'm going to have to do something about that." He concentrates and says "_**ἀλέκω**_" (an ancient Greek word that translations protect) the wind blows. Damon appears Bonnie runs into his arm, "Don't scare me like that again, Jerk!" Damon hugs her back and smiles "You look no worse for wear, seriously, that was a big spell, are you ok?" Damon looked down at her. He noticed her eyes were glossy, her cheeks weren't their normal rosy color, he could see a faint outline of dried blood around her nostril. He knew she had been pushing the limits of her magical batteries, something Bonnie Bennett would never admit to and always did for her loved ones. She was pushing those limits trying to uncloak him, wake him up, to undo the magic he did, to save him. He tightened his hold on her, his human heart didn't love her more than his vampire one did, his human heart did appreciate more the risk she took each time she pushed those limits. Somehow, learning that she and he were destine to be warriors fighting side by side in a battle against the same enemy just made sense, it was right, after all that they had been through, it was where they should have always been on the same side battling together, never against each other. Someday soon he would tell her about their destiny over a bourbon, she would laugh and tease him about how isn't he glad he never actually killed her as he threatened so many times as a vampire. She so loved to throw that at him any chance she got, it always made him smile. He leaned his head down and kissed the top of her head, "You Bonnie Bennett are one amazing human being, I will never ever understand what I did to earn your friendship. I will do everything in my power to protect it for the rest of my existence, I promise." She looked up at him "I missed you too." He loosens his hold on her and turned his attention to Elena.

He straightens the sheet around her, he realized it was not necessary, she didn't feel cold or hot in her magical coma state, he couldn't help himself. His instinct was to protect her at all times for all reasons, he smirks, whether she agrees or not. Bonnie asks, "Is she ok?" Damon caresses Elena's cheek once again "Not as good as she is going to be once we wake her up."

Everyone is gathered in the kitchen, Stefan looks around, Bonnie and Damon are sitting at the table eating the pasta he made. He smiles as his thoughts flow back to Elena's house when his vampire life was surrounded by humans, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Jeremy, and Jenna all the gatherings were in the kitchen with food, humans communicated, thought better, planned better, bonded better with food. He remembered standing in Elena's kitchen cooking for everyone thinking these very thoughts. Then, after Caroline and Elena turned, and Damon joined the cause, when the vampires outnumbered the humans, all the gathering happened in the great hall of the boarding house in front of the blazing fireplace with a glass of blood or bourbon. The tables had turned again, the humans outnumbered the vampires, Caroline was the odd vamp out, Stefan smiled at his wife, she being the most well-adjusted vampire in history.

Damon was busy talking about everything that had happened in the dream world with Demetrius, bringing everyone up to speed. Matt was confused about how Damon and Stefan didn't know they were witches before they turned back in 1864. Damon started to retell the story as told to him by Demetrius, when he appears, Damon stops in mind sentence "Good morning, Grandpa, thanks for not being around, we could have used your insight during the last couple of days."

Demetrius replies, "You exhausted your magic, without the brother bond - Stefan's magic, you have nothing to draw on. You have been weakened and unable to summon me. Awakening Stefan's magic is an utmost priority."

Damon nods in agreement "Agreed, how do we get Stef in the game" Stefan looking around and confused "Game, what game? Who are you talking to?"

Damon puts his hand on Stefan's shoulder and Stefan is startled as Demetrius appears out of thin air. Damon smirks with amusement at Stefan's reaction to seeing Demetrius for the first time, "Look who decided to drop in for coffee. So, you were saying. How do we awakening his magic? Can't he just use his own Doppelganger blood? That is what juiced me."

Demetrius answered, "As a doppelganger, he was drawn to the magic, remember your magic is not blood magic. The immortality cure was purified by both doppelgangers blood that is what awakened your magic, not the blood itself. Only by channelling your earthly elements together through your talisman and taking your place as high priest at your temple, only then will you be able to invoke Stefan's magic." Stefan trying to get into the game, "What is our talisman and where is our temple?"

Demetrius pleased with Stefan's questions, "My son, you've been wearing your talismans for 145 years, rings with lapis lazuli. As far as your temple, it is where you and Damon build it." The entire Scooby gang was looking at Stefan and Damon talking to the air in the middle of the room, with complete silence. Bonnie knew it was real for them, even if no one else could see this ancestor Demetrius, they could, they were communicating and learning information that she needed to know to help. Bonnie 'sshh'd' everyone else, so she could hear the one-sided conversation.

Damon and Stefan look at each other 'build it'. Demetrius tells the story of when he and Silas built their temple. The brotherly bond to each other and to the magic that creates the connection to the place where your temple needs to be built. The site will choose you together, it will be your place of energizing, rituals, contemplation, and where your magic will be its strongest.

Damon and Stefan are overwhelmed with all the information they heard from Demetrius. Caroline speaks up and sits next to Stefan "I heard you talking in here, it was very much a one-sided conversation. I did not understand any of it. I have one question. What are we going to do about Stefan?" Looking directly into Stefan's eyes "Are you going to die soon or not?"

Damon answers "No, I will fix this. My brother does not die today or anytime soon." Stefan smiles at how 'as a matter a fact' the tone Damon's tone was, Stefan comforts Caroline, "As Damon said Not today, or any time soon, my wife."

Caroline still worrisome, "Good, because you, my husband, owe me a honeymoon, I plan on collecting. Actually I'm going to start planning it now." Caroline looks at Damon with big loving eyes "You fix this, brother in law, I'm the one that can break you now." Caroline stands up, leans down and kisses Stefan with a passion that leaves him longing for more. She releases his lips "That is how the honeymoon gets started, just in case you are wondering." She flashing him a grin, followed up with bedroom eyes that could ignite an iceberg, as she gets up to leave. Stefan leans back in his chair to appreciate the view as she walks away.

Bonnie and Matt laugh "Caroline has the upper hand now." Damon flashes the classic Damon overconfident smirk, "I'm not scared of Barbie vamp, she's all fang no bite."

Bonnie changes the topic, "What does this temple and elements mean to you two? It has been very hard to follow a one-sided conversation. Can you help fill in the other side now?"

Damon starts explaining, "Ok, temple and elements. We know that what our elements are." Stefan questions, "We do?"

Damon continues, "Sorry, I do. My elements are Earth/dirt/rock and wind/sky/sun, yours are water/cold and fire/heat. And our daylight rings are the talisman. Do you have yours still?" Damon looks down at his, he hasn't taken it off, it has been part of his hand for almost 200 years. He knows he doesn't need it, he just feels unnatural without it.

Stefan talks knowing that his vampire wife's ears are still listening, "It's upstairs, Caroline, can you get me, my daylight ring. She knows where it is better than I do. She has our room organized regularly." Caroline vamp speeds into the kitchen with his ring in hand "Here you go. Does this help? I really want to help with anything. I am feeling a bit useless." Caroline looks at Bonnie and Matt, everyone seems to be in the same boat. Stefan pulls the chair out, "Honey, we aren't sure exactly what we are doing, so have a seat and listen, maybe you might hear something and have an idea."

Damon agrees, "Everyone, any thoughts will help." Stefan puts on his daylight ring, "I have to admit, I feel more" Stefan pauses as he searched for the right word "comforted with this back on, a bit more myself if that makes sense."

Damon looks at his ring "They are our talisman, according to Demetrius. I haven't been ready to take mine off. I attempted a few times, just to put it back on." Damon stands up, goes to the kitchen drawer, pulls out a folded up paper map. "Can't believe we still have one of these around" He unfolds it and lays it across the table in front of everyone, all eyes go on the map of Mystic Falls and the surrounding area, as Damon begins to speak again, "Demetrius said we need a temple, from what he described, it needs to be a place that is hidden from plain site, yet an area that we can channel our elements. So less populated, but easy to get too."

Caroline leans into Stefan's shoulder, "You can't just build it here on the boarding house property." Bonnie looks around "I don't think it matters where they built it, they have to be able to magically connect to it." Matt chimes in "You two have been walking around the boarding house for days, have you 'connected' to any specific part of the house or grounds here?"

Stefan and Damon look at each other, shake their heads 'no', Damon "I'm thinking a brother bonding road trip around Mystic Falls and a burger. I'm getting hungry. This human body hasn't had enough human food. How about your human body, brother?" Stefan "As long as I don't have to exert too much energy, I'm still pretty beat up from the burn and infection. I could sit in a car, and a restaurant." Damon glances at Stefan with a look concern " Agreed, you need to conserve your strength. I'll meet you by the Camero. I am going to check on Elena. I just want to make sure she is ok. She is out of the coffin and in the open. I feel like she is vulnerable. I'm just concerned."

Stefan stands, "I understand, sooner we get me in this magical game, sooner we can figure out how to wake her up. Brother, we can bring her back to us all. From what Demetrius said, it sounds like our magic is older than Gemini magic, and the older the stronger, right!" Damon looked into Stefan's eyes and for the first time in almost 5 years, Damon had true hope in his heart.

With the brothers gone, Bonnie starts talking "This magic that is supposed to be older than the Originals. Damon said something interesting, Qetsiyah was blood magic, Silas and Demetrius had Nature's magic or control over the elements magic. That is old magic. Ric, maybe the Armory has something on that, it would have to pre-date the Sirens and Cade. We should see if we can find something on it. I'm of Qetsiyah's bloodline, I might be able to summon something if it exists at the Armory."

Ric mind starts thinking, "It might work, Dorian has be cataloging a new cave that we found last week. It has some very interesting artefacts that seemed very random, maybe they aren't as random as we first thought. I will call Dorian and have him meet us there in an hour." Ric heads to the library to make the phone call.

Matt gets up off the chair, "How come I feel like there is something big getting ready to come into this town again?" Matt looks at his life long friends, "We are stronger this time aren't we? I feel different this time, not angry or lost, wondering what side are the good guys. Somehow, knowing that Damon and Stefan were supposed to be the good guys, that Katherine took that away from them. I think I'm going to find some peace with them, someday." Matt looked around the kitchen, "At least coming into this house will not be so hard, ok, time for me to head out. I'm going to do some patrolling, we need to know what is happening in this town, I have my cell, keep me posted." He didn't know why, he just did what felt normal, so walked over to Caroline, kissed her on the forehead, and then to Bonnie and did the same, before heading out the door. Bonnie and Caroline just looked at each other. Matt was right, things had changed, finally for the good.

Caroline leans on the table with her arms crossed on the table looking at Bonnie as Ric comes back into the room, "You do realize, I'm the only vampire, I'm sidelined. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm the one with the strength, hearing and speed. I'm here at the house, staying put." She looks up and all the eyes are on her, Ric turns back to Bonnie continues their conversations or tasks in motion. Caroline continues her own personal conversation with a room that isn't listening to her, "Ok, then, the girls and I will make dinner for everyone tonight. Hopefully, people can be back here at 7 for food." Caroline does a bit of a smile, her family is at peace.

Damon stood at the doorway of this bedroom, the dark stained pine doorframe he had entered and exited hundreds of times over the decades. This bedroom had been his room for so long, it had also been their room, his thoughts went back and forth between the official and unofficial times it was their room. During all those times, the look of the room never really changed, sure Elena had put some of her clothes in dresser with his, shared a bit of the closet. As he looked around, Damon realized that he, they had never really made it theirs, once she woke up, he was going to make some real changes. He walked towards Elena, and stopped in the middle of the bedroom, he turned around in a full circle, it was all Damon, not one remnant of Elena's life existed. This isn't what he wanted her to wake up to, he wanted her to see her life was ready for her. He needed to change that right now, he thought. He went into the closet, into the back, there was a leather-bound attaché hiding behind the armoire. He had put it there before he and Ric headed to Europe, when having Elena's personal things around was too hard for him.

He brought the attaché out to the bed, and sat next to her, "Hi, baby, I'm so sorry, I put your things away." He opened the case, the smell went straight to his heart, it smelled like her, her perfume, she didn't wear much or often, just a dab on her wrists for special occasions. Her jewelry box, he opened it, he spotted her daylight ring that Jo made her, a few pieces that were Gilbert family heirlooms, he wished that he had given her more, he made a mental note, she deserved more beautiful pieces, pearls for her birthstone, diamonds and sapphires, just because she should have them. Damon took everything out of the attaché and put each item where it belonged. The jewelry box went into the built-in closet drawer with his jewelry items. All of her perfumes and lotions went on the sink top next to his shaving items, he set them up with a his/her look. He placed her hairbrush and comb in the same container has his stood in. He put on her favorite book and her lip balm that she would put on before she would go to sleep each night on her nightstand on her side of their bed. Finally, the photo of them she kept on her bed stand in her dorm room at Whitmore. "This is to keep you company while Stef and I go" he put the framed photo under her arm, smoothed the sheet, making sure she was tucked in, as if there was a possibility of her rolling off the bed. He looked around, he felt better, it wasn't perfect, it was less him and more them. When she woke up, they would make it all them, he made a silent promise to her. He kissed her softly on her lips. "I'll be back in a little bit."

Damon pulled the Camaro into the carport to pick up Stefan, Stefan spoke "Caroline is not too happy about us going on a road trip. She doesn't really want me out of the house. Apparently, my temperature has not been normal for long enough." Damon declares "She is your wife, I'm not touching that one with a 10 foot pole. I know the day will come when Elena is on my case about something, you are not going to have my back at all, brother." Stefan looked at his brother and laughs "You are very right, and any grief that lady gives you, you will have earned, most likely double." Damon smiles "Can't argue with that."

Damon pulls into the parking lot of a roadside diner along route 20, he noticed that it had been spruced up, "Must be new ownership, new paint, new windows, and new décor, whoever did it, and did a good job. I'm ready to eat." The brothers get out of the car, walk into the diner, the server is a walk fair-skinned mid 50's gentleman in dark pants with a white "Boys, just grab a table anywhere you like, the specials are on the board above the register." Written in neon colors were southern dishes that you would expect to find Brunswick stew, Country Ham, Biscuits & gravy.

Stefan hungrily, "I've been human for over a month, to be honest, things have been so crazy, I really haven't stopped and enjoyed a real meal, it's been mostly hospital food and crappy cop approved doughnuts" reminded Damon of their hide n seek adventure. Damon frowned "No reminders needed bro. I haven't been human that long. I could use a good meal. Lily used to make a pretty good biscuit and gravy as I recall. And no Stefan, I don't want to talk about her. I'm just stating a fact for the sake of conversation."

Stefan conceded "Ok, I will not prod, I don't remember her cooking very much, let alone what it tasted like. I remember Emily's cooking much more. She was a wonderful cook. After turning, her cooking is what inspired me to learn."

Damon's tone was reflective "Hmm, you never told me that. I learned a bit in the 20's, I had to really perfect the skills because of Bonnie in our 1994 Prison hell. God that woman is an awful cook. I swear, she would have died without me cooking for her."

Stefan smiled "Caroline is pretty good in the kitchen. I actually only have one complaint. There this soup" Together the brother "Fix you up all Better Soup" Damon shook his head with a shiver threw his shoulders "That stuff is awful, even for with vampire taste buds that stuff was bad. Did she make it for you with the burns?" Stefan laughs, "She tried, Bonnie told her that the salt would react with the ingredients of the potion I had to drink. I owe Bonnie another big one." Damon smiles "That is going to be a tough one to payback".

The server stands at the table "Ok, boys what can I get you" Damon answered immediately "I'd like a Steak Rare with sweet potato pie and green bean, please, I'm going to ask, without much hope, but being as we are Virginian gentlemen, if there is bourbon, I'd love a bourbon neat. Double" Damon nods his head with respect. The server "Young man, I can see your Pa raised you with the right manners, I'll see what we might have in the back, it may not be the best for nightcap sipping, but it will get you through the meal. And you, my young sir."

Looking at Stefan "I'll have the same, minus the bourbon, I would appreciate a sweet tea with mint, and thank you." Damon looks at Stefan confused "Sweet tea?" Stefan "I'm pretty sure a 17-year-old isn't going to get a Bourbon neat from this guy. But an amazing brother may drop some of his bourbon into his brother's empty tea glass." Damon nods with an understanding glance.

An hour and half later, the brothers walk out of the diner, Stefan opens the passenger door, "That was not a bad meal for a side of the road diner. What route are we on? We may have to file this away for off the main road stops, when I'm a dirty old man and want to take my young sexy wife out for a date?" Damon closes the door "Thinking about that already?" Stefan takes a deep breath before answering, "Not really, it crossed my mind once or twice. I know it will come up, for now. I'm not going to think or concern ourselves with it"

Damon decides to continue the topic, "When Bonnie first brought the cure back, I thought about it, a lot. Not about having an older wife, but me being without Elena, the after part. That is what really made me think about becoming human again. I can't see a life without her. I don't want a life without her. The past 3 years have convinced me that I am right. Not having her in my daily life has been hell for me. I'm holding it together, because of you, Bonnie, Ric and Care, even the twins help. I know at some point Elena is coming back to me, I have hope. If I didn't have that, I wouldn't make it, I would have staked myself long ago."

Stefan turns to Damon, "Damon, we have more hope than ever, now. We just have to build a temple. By the way, what exactly is a temple? I keep picturing the Parthenon or Acropolis in Greece. Is that what we are looking for? The reason why I ask, Tessa or Qetsiyah talked about her and Silas' wedding temple as a very different place, it was more a garden setting with water features and stone settees." Damon thought back to the dream where he first met Demetrius "I'm guessing the look and the feel of this temple is based on how we can channel our elements the best." Damon was silent for a moment.

Stefan interrupts the silence, "Your thinking heavily about something, what is it?"

Damon responds, "I was just thinking about all the magical stuff we know. How Bonnie needs blood or celestial events, other supernatural beings to take power from. Every witch we have ever known needs special power for super spells. If what Demetrius says is true, we won't need any of that, it will always be with us, from the earth and us as brothers. It just seems impossible, almost too simple. Something inside of me says it's right. There is a spark, a light. I have no idea how to describe it. I'm driving, I'm turning the steering wheel like I know where I'm going, but I don't. I have no idea at all. I just know at the next mile marker I'm going to turn right." Stefan asks "Magic locator spell?" Damon answers, "I think more like a magical beacon taking us home."

The brother continued to talk about magic and temples. The car found itself on a dirt road, Stefan looked up and said "Home". Damon stopped the car in front of the decayed ruins of the house they were born in. Out the front of the Camaro window, they see over grown trees and hedges, where perfectly manicured grounds once where, the circular drive that was daily swept and freed from anything but snowy white river rocks as demanded by Giuseppe Salvatore, was now nothing but dark brown earth covered with bushes and dead overgrowth. Stefan turned around to see the brick columns that once defined the archway entry to the Salvatore Plantation, they were now just small mounds of crumbled red rocks.

Damon points to a tree in the far left corner "Look at Ole Thomas, he is still standing, you learned to climb trees on him, also broke your arm falling from him when you were 6. I got lashes for that letting you climb by yourself. Thanks for not telling me by the way." Damon smiled. Stefan puts his hand on Damon's shoulder, after all they had been through, a few lashes wasn't worried about at all, he was just giving him a brotherly hard time, a little bro banter, Stefan really cherished this part of their relationship, he missed it too, from the ole Plantation days "Any time bro".

They get out of the car, as their feet touched the earth an unfamiliar sensation flowed through their bodies, each looked at the other, Damon said "Did you feel that?" Stefan nods his head yes "What do you think it is, witch spirits, ghosts from the past?"

Damon touched his brother's shoulder and a physical spark flew between them, a magical current connected their bodies. Stefan reached out his hand and a single flame ignited on the end of his index finger. Damon immediately removed his hand from Stefan shoulder and flame extinguished. Stefan "How the hell did I do that?" Damon answered, "I'm guessing you channelled your element of fire. I have no idea how you did it. I'm also guessing we found out where we are building this temple of ours. Does it bother you that we are right back to where everything started or ended depending on the way you look at it?" Stefan's eyes met his brother's with an eerie look, each of their thoughts went to a dark place without restraint.

They walked around their previous home. The ruins of the home make so many memories from so long ago seem like yesterday. The so many of the topics were off-limits for so long, were now just normal parts of conversation. The brothers no longer had anger or resentment in their hearts. They reminisced about life as children, old hiding places, life with their father, life without their mother, Katherine and finally Emily. Damon blurts out "I wonder why Emily chose Lapis for our daylight rings?" Stefan stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Damon "what put that thought into your mind?"

Jumping over what used to be the main cooking fireplace in the kitchen of the main house, Damon stopped and picked up a mangled iron hook for hanging a cast iron pot over the fire. He examined it, remembering how the cook would put the pot out to stir the stews and sneak him a taste before pushing the pot over the fire again.

"It's something that Demetrius told me about Katherine and what fate was bringing into our lives. Emily was from Qetsiyah bloodline, we are brothers of Silas's blood. Nature's magic pulling the two blood lines together to finish what was started, the bonding of the two magic lines, Blood & Nature magic." Damon paused. "Emily, was coming for us, she was the one that brought Katherine. I remember Katherine saying that she was so happy that she listened to Emily suggestion about coming to Mystic Falls. I was just thinking about how different life would have been if Emily was the one that would have influenced us, not Katherine. I was a protector back then, I would have protected Emily, I would have figured out a way of releasing her from Katherine."

Stefan thinking, "Maybe your right, I was thinking, you were always my protector before Katherine entered our lives. Our entire childhood, you protected me from Giuseppe, not once did he actually put his hand on me. Yet, he tortured you regularly. You made sure I was protected. With Elena, whether I wanted to admit it or not at the time, you could and did protect her better than I could. It somehow connects that as a witch or warlock.. magical being.. you would gain strength and have influence over the earth and sky." Stefan paused " I can't count how many times you have told me, that I have lived my life pursuing one extreme or the other. As a ripper or on the bunny diet, I never could find peace in the middle area, I could never put into words how "just being" was almost torture for me. Fire & Water, is the core of who I have been both as a human and as a vampire."

They were 20 yards behind the main house, between the old water well and where the stable had been. A few dead trees have fallen down, new trees had grown, and some of the quarry rock had shifted to make a natural formation that was covered in peat moss. Stefan stopped "Damon, I'm feeling a bit… odd is the only word I can think of" Damon "I wouldn't exactly call it odd" He reached for the rock formation, raising his hand, the mound grew straight out of the ground. The brothers looked at each other, at once they knew, without question, they had found the exact spot that they had been searching for. Damon spoke first "It feels like my bones are alive, there is an energy that I can feel coming out of the ground, the earth, into my feet and through my body." Stefan only nodded his head in agreement. Damon reached down, he lifted some of the earth into his fingers, and let it filter through to the ground, he could feel energy, a power surge through his veins. He looked to the sky and suddenly a strong breeze swirled around them bringing pine needles and leaves around them, as if creating a wall.

Stefan looked around and said "Are you doing this?"

Damon looked at his brother and nodded "I feel the earth, I feel the air, I know what it looks like, what it needs to move, grow, change, as if it is part of me, or I am part of it." Damon stood up and looked down, he let all the energy drain, and wind followed, it calmed as well. Damon found an inner peace he had never known. He looked at his brother and smiled, a single tear slid down his cheek. He put his hand on Stefan shoulder "Brother, we are truly Home."

Stefan asks "Do you think my powers will be as strong here?" Damon responds "No time like the present to find out." He squeezes Stefan shoulder, "Close your eyes, your elements are fire and water, open your mind, let them find you. Don't stop the heat or the cold, whatever comes to you, know that you are part of it, it will make you whole."

Stefan feels the strength of his brother grasp on his shoulder, he drops his hand to the ground. Stefan focuses on what Damon said let his elements find him, he clears his mind, opens it to the possibilities of water. He can't stop himself from the memories of he and Damon as children playing in the streams on this very property, the fun they had, Damon teaching him to swim. Stefan became aware of wet, he opened his eyes and saw water everywhere. He and Damon were standing in a puddle of water.

Stefan turned around and looked at Damon. Damon's smug, "I told you so" glare said it all. Stefan had accessed his water element. Damon said "Well, If I had known I was going to take a bath today, I wouldn't have taken a shower this morning. Ok, Stef, easy on the water works, we don't want to drown the first time out the gate."

Stefan lifted his hand off the ground and the water quickly receded back into the earth, just like the magic that brought it up. Stefan felt the power, he felt the connection to the water, just like Damon had said, was it part of him or was he part of the water. It started to make sense, the way that he felt when he was channelling the water, how he could, what happened when he did, Stefan put his hand back on the ground. As if instinct, so did Damon.

Just in front of them, a solid piece of granite slowly started piercing through the earth, forming itself into a beautiful rock formation with a flowing, cascading waterfall coming from the top.

The brothers looked at each other, extremely pleased. Damon was the first to speak "Not bad at all, dare I say we might have missed our calling as Landscape Architects." Stefan burst out laughing.

For the rest of the day, the brothers work together to create what Damon has deemed the "magical man cave". As the sun is setting, each brother stands in the middle of their element altars, they look at each other, quite proud of what was accomplished. Stefan says "Do you think this is really going to work? The cure isn't in me, I'm not a vampire, I'm scared Damon, I'm scared to put all this hope into us being the poster witches for pure nature's magic. We were Vampires for 150 years Damon, our redemption isn't even close to being earned. The evil that we have caused, the pain, the suffering that we have rained on this world, and just like that the good & evil switch is flipped. How can we trust this isn't some big master evil plan that we are playing right into? Where are the consequences? So far, Damon, it has been all good, we are together, we are brother bonding, we are happy, we are working together as a team, and I've never felt closer to you, I'm happy. If this is an Eternity of Misery, we are doing it wrong." Damon responds "I can't tell you I haven't thought those same things, because I have. I also know that we have fought our way through and won against some of the biggest evils this and the underworld have to offer. I figure, if this is a big evil plot, if we are locked and loaded with magic, we have a weapon to fight with, we can give as good as we get before we die. It isn't like we haven't been willing to die for each other before, I know I'm willing to do it again." Stefan nods his head and says "Agreed"


	6. Chapter 6 - We are Family

Chapter #6 – We don't have friends, we have family

Back at the house, Damon still damp from the shower, is sitting on the couch, sipping on a second bourbon, the first one went down in a single gulp. Bonnie walks into the room, she sits next to him and grabs his arm, wraps it around her. Enzo appears. Bonnie says "I miss you." Enzo responds "Love, someday we will be together, and my arms will be around you. I must say, as much as I appreciate that you are able to see and talk to me. Having Damon's arms around you, no matter how much of a mate of mine he is, isn't my favorite thing." Damon responds "I get it, no offence, I'd rather have someone a little taller, and a button nose. If we are talking preferences, that is." Damon looked down and winked at Bonnie, then squeezed her a bit tighter. Bonnie looked up "Hey, what's wrong with my nose?"

Bonnie and Enzo continued to talk, while Damon's mind wondered. His thoughts were going places that he needed to talk to Demetrius and now. Damon looks down at Bonnie. Her eyes are full of such a mixture of love and pain. Could he change that? He had to try, she was his best friend, he loved her with a loyalty that only his brother had pulled out of him. Bonnie Bennett had put her life in danger for him how many times, countless. He turned to her, "Bonnie, I have to go for a minute, I'm so sorry, I'll be right back. Enzo, stay with her, please, don't leave her, don't follow me." Damon gets up and yells "STEFAN.. STEFAN" Stefan comes running down the stairs, putting a gray t-shirt on, fresh from the shower, "What is going on? What's wrong?"

Damon, "We need to talk to Demetrius, now. I want to drive back to the temple, Man Cave. We need to go back now." Damon swallows the rest of his Bourbon, "You have to drive, I'm two doubles in, here are the keys." Throwing the keys to Stefan "Damon, Care and I are heading to bed. Can we do this in the morning?"

Damon "No, It's about an idea for Bonnie and Enzo. I want to bring Enzo back." Stefan grabs a jacket from the coat rack and follows Damon out the front door, Damon shuts the car door before Stefan is even in the car. Stefan "What are you talking about? Enzo? You want to bring Enzo back?" Damon "Yes, Let's go?"

Damon fills Stefan in on his idea as they make their way back to the "magical man cave". Less than 10 minutes later, Stefan is opening the car door as Damon is yelling "Demetrius, Grandpa… Hey Grandpa… Ancient Dad…. Come on.. I need to talk to you"

Stefan reminds, "Damon, you really aren't impressing anyone right now. Maybe trying adding tactic with a little less sarcasm." Stefan gives it a try "Demetrius, Sir, my brother and I have a few questions about our magical abilities that need a bit of clarification. We would appreciate a few words of your guidance."

Damon rolls his eyes "Yes, Please Obi One" Stefan punches Damon's shoulder sending Damon into the rock wall. Damon stumbles upright, rubbing his arm "Hey, what did you do that for?" Stefan "You are being a dick. If we have a real shot at bringing Enzo back, we need to know. Damon, if there is a chance. For Bonnie… Damon…Bonnie.. I have to know" Damon bows his head, he knows exactly what Stefan is thinking, Stefan is the one who killed Enzo, who took Enzo away from Bonnie.

An hour later, Damon debates "It wasn't supposed to happen, it was Cade influencing Stefan.. Bad evil Ripper Stefan, we are talking about taking magic that is already in existence, we aren't creating new magic, just transferring to another source. We have his blood, Bennett blood and nature's magic, based on everything you've said, it should work. Demetrius, it should work, we have all the elements, all the ingredients, please tell me something we don't have, something that says it will not work. Bonnie has sacrificed everything for us, all of us, for so many years. Her Grandmother, her mother became a vampire, she died more times than I can count, and Enzo, she lost Enzo because of us. If we can bring him back to her, we have to try."

Demetrius "I honestly, don't know for sure. I do know that if you do this, it will send Enzo soul to peace, it will close the dimension that she has made, Enzo will not be able to reside there and he will be forced to move on. That means that Bonnie will not be able to connect him any longer, even with her magics."

The ride back the boarding house was quiet, neither one of the brothers wanted to speak their thoughts, not the doubts or the hopes. The sound of the car engine is all that is heard as they pull into the garage until Stefan says "We have to let her know, she is the one that has to decide. Damon, it has to be her decision."

Damon doesn't speak until they reach the kitchen "I know it has to be Bonnie's choice. I have to be the one to talk to her. I will explain everything in the morning." Damon paused "Speaking of in the morning, it will be a good idea to keep my sister in law occupied a bit later, maybe a little sleeping in or not sleeping but completely occupied so that her vampire hearing is not tuned in, if you get my meaning, brother." Damon fluttered his eyebrows at Stefan, who rolled his eyes back at his brother. Stefan "Yes, Brother, I get your meaning. I don't need any encouragement to give you some extra time with Bonnie. I'm fully capable of entertaining my wife just because I want to and without doing you a favor. However, since we are still on our honeymoon. And tomorrow mornings agenda has already been discussed. You may be in luck to have a vampire hearing free morning." Stefan left the car with a devilish grin, he realized that all of the jealousy over Damon's lustful actions with Elena were so unfounded. Stefan actually laughed out loud, his big brother was just setting the example of what real love was going to be like. As Stefan passed Damon, he slapped Damon's shoulder "Thanks Big Brother, you are an inspiration." Damon turned to watch Stefan walk into the house, wondering what the hell his brother was talking about.

Damon doesn't follow Stefan to the stairwell, he heads to the living room. The fireplace has calmed, he adds a few logs to the ambers. He lets his mind wander, he looks at the wall alongside the mantle, he lays his hand on the very place he and Elena were started seducing each other for the first time. He smiled as he played the conversation back in his head, she told him that she wanted to dance with him. Elena always told him that she made the first move, Damon countered that he was the one that pulled her in for the kiss that was the first move. As he stood there with his hand on the very stop that she pushed him against and tore his shirt open, he smiled with a smirk, yes, she was right, she made the first move. She seduced him, sired or not, Elena Gilbert made the first move on Damon Salvatore. He would finally admit that to her, it would take a bite out of his mega lover ego, he supposed it could take it since she was the last lover he ever looked at the vaulted ceiling, she was just upstairs in their bed, he reminded himself. It wasn't completely her yet, he thought, she wasn't there, not yet. He didn't know what to do. He longed to go upstairs, just to lie next to her body, he couldn't connect to her mind anymore, it was the one thing that he missed not being a vampire. It was the thing he dreaded the most about being next to her, it was the reason why he wasn't climbing those stairs two at a time right this second. If he lay next to her now, she would be lifeless, cold, no thoughts or dreams to be part of.

A memory of Elena came into his mind before she took the cure, they were on their way back from vampire-proof'ing the Grove Hill B&B with Stef, and locking him and Caroline in it for the next few days. With Lily in Mystic Falls, Damon wanted Elena to himself for just one day, one 24 hour period. He closed the car door "We need a night off, Stefan is tucked away with Care, they are safe and secure. Care is going to be out for at least 36 hours with all the vervain and how much we bled her. Stefan is going to keep an eye on her. We need a night. Just you and me."

Elena started to protest "Damon, there is so much going on. Lily…" Damon takes her hand "You and me, we need a night." Elena "One night, you and your blue eyes, do you always get want you want from me?" Damon's voice lowers and he adds a bit of devilish southern accent charm to his tone "Here's hoping!"

Elena "So Mr. Salvatore, what did you have in mind?" Damon starts the Camaro's engine, "Well, Ms. Gilbert, many many things that aren't for the faint of heart, shall we start with dinner, a romantic human style" He drives to a quiet Bistro in the town square. Damon "Stay put" he gets out of the car, walks to her side, opens the door and extends his hand. Elena takes his hand and stands "I see, we are doing this 1880's style." Damon "Gentlemen's manners are never out of style no matter what the decade is." Damon wraps her arm around his, and leads her into the restaurant.

The hostess greets them "Welcome, do you have reservations?" Damon "Yes, Salvatore, Mr & Mrs Salvatore" Elena looks at Damon. Damon doesn't even flinch when he says 'it', she notices, Elena knows that Damon loves her, the way he talks about their life never has an 'if' involved, it is always 'we' or 'us'. The hostess checks her book, looks up at Damon "Yes, sir, right this way, Mr & Mrs Salvatore, we have your table ready, just as you requested." Elena "Damon" Damon patted Elena's hand and followed the hostess. He held Elena's seat, and slid it slightly as she sat down, he went to his seat, the hostess offered the menus, Damon spoke to the hostess "Thank you". Elena watching Damon with just a bit of erotic glaze "This is lovely. We haven't had a dinner like this in a very long time. Damon, we are completely underdressed for this restaurant."

Damon is distracted for a moment staring at Elena, she has that look in her eye, he matches it with a raised eyebrow "Our money will pay the bill just as well as any of the other patrons. Don't worry about it, you look amazing and beautiful. I always prefer you without clothes." Elena shakes her head. "You are encouragable." The server arrives at the table "Good evening, My name is Edgar, I will be your server this evening. May I interest you in a selection from our wine list this evening?" Damon "Good evening, Edgar, we will have a bottle of 85 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon" Edgar looked twice at Damon "Of course, Sir, a fine choice". Elena "That must have been a good year." Damon answers "One of the best for Cabernet during this century. Only the best for my girl." Elena "I've been demoted, just a few minutes ago, I was the wife, now I'm just the girl." Damon "You are my everything!" Elena puts her hand on the table, Damon takes it "I like 'everything' the best." Edgar returns with the wine, pours a taste for Damon, who performs the ritual of a sommelier to perfection, he nods his head, the server pours into Elena's glass and then Damon's glass.

Edgar is a middle-aged gentleman with dark brown hair and gray-blue eyes, he was dressed in snow white shirt with black half apron, with perfect posture, "Madam, what may the kitchen prepare for your enjoyment this evening?" has he addressed Elena, Damon wasn't sure if it was amazing customer service or flirting, he turned up his vamp hearing just to be on the safe side. Elena answered, "I'll have the broiled artichoke to start, followed by the Lobster bisque and then the Pork Chop for the main, please." Edgar, the server bows his head to the madam "The Chef suggests the pork chop be prepared to a medium, will this be acceptable madam?" Elena "Yes, Edgar, I would prefer to enjoy the meal as intended by the chef."

Elena flashes Edgar a smile that would melt the polar caps, Damon frowns. The server now turns to Damon, and sees the frown on his face, Edgar immediately straightens his posture, "What can the kitchen prepare for Mistre's enjoyment?" Damon wanted to say 'your head on a plate for flirting with my girl' sensing that Elena was staring him down, he chose to keep her calm "I will have the steamed mussels to start, let's also have escargot, and for the main porterhouse rare." Edgar was nervous, "fine choice, sir. I will get the kitchen started on this immediately." Elena took over "Thank you, Edgar." The server bowed and left with haste.

Elena "Damon, knock it off. You are going to give poor Edgar a heart attack." Damon "Serves him right for flirting with a married woman." Elena "There is no one married here, sir." Damon "According to the reservation, you are."

Elena "Ok, Mr. Salvatore, explain to me what this is all about, why are we pretending to be in wedded bliss? What is going through your that spider wedded mind of yours? What are you trying to figure out? Please don't tell me 'nothing' we have had a long hard day. Everything that went on with getting Stefan back, locking up Caroline, I'm too tired to play what is going on in Damon's brain game. You know I love you. Let's talk about it. Please" Damon knows that she will not stop until he talks, so much for a peaceful romantic dinner date. He takes a different approach, "I admit, I have something on my mind. I will also admit that I need to talk to you about it. Can we make a deal about dinner first?" Elena is intrigued "Deal?" Damon sensing he is on the right track "You let me wine and dine you with romance, with the goal of mind-blowing sex at the end of the evening. I agree to fill you in on all the insecure mind-numbing stupid thoughts that are running around in my brain tomorrow morning over coffee." He ends the sentence with an arched eyebrow and flashes her his famous eye sparkle that she can't resist.

Elena knows he has her wrapped around his finger at this point, yes, she should not compromise, getting Damon to talk about his feelings is never an easy task. Getting him to admit that he is having some that are insecure, well that is a Fourth of July Fireworks show. She is willing to wait until the morning for this conversation. She considers her response carefully, "I will only agree to this if you start talking after our first cup of coffee, and while you are cooking breakfast. No emergency, supernatural or otherwise gets in the way, period, Damon NO exceptions. Those are the terms." Damon smiles, he knows exactly how to respond "You are going be really good at the wifey thing. You have yourself a deal. Can I romance you now?" There really wasn't a dance floor, the restaurant only had a few tables were filled with eating guests, none of them were around them, the background music that was playing would do just perfectly. Damon stood up "Mrs. Salvatore, dance with me." He reached for her hand. Elena looked into his eyes and put her hand in his, she stood up and moved into his arms.

Dinner was amazing. The ride back to the boarding house was quiet, Elena sat close to Damon, she laid her head on his shoulder, he reached around her waist and pulled her close so that he could whisper into her ear, "You are my life, my everything, I don't think of my life without you in it." Elena tilts her head to look at his face, she knows he's talking about his worries, those pesky insecure thoughts, "I love you, but I don't deserve you, that is what you told me once when I was sleeping." Damon doesn't look at her, his eyes stay on the road, "You remember that?"

Elena answered, "No, Bonnie told me. You told her, she told me." They arrived at the Boarding House, Damon got out of the car, he held his hand out, Elena took it, "What else did Bon tell you, that I said, while you were sleeping?" Elena continued "She told me, things got really rough for you, you gave up for a short time, but you found your way back, and after that, you changed, a light switch was permanently on. You never gave up after that. She thought that you had figured out something. She told me, she didn't ask you. But one night you both were drinking, you said something about our 20 year wedding anniversary party. Bonnie being Bonnie put 2 & 2 together. She realized that you figured out that all of us plus Mystic Falls having a life, living was what I would expect when I woke up. I would want to meet my nieces and nephews, Bonnie's kids, Matt's kids, everyone would have to be happy and living. So you focused on getting Mystic Falls back, saving Stefan, keeping Bonnie safe. You let everyone see the Damon that you always let me see." They were now inside the Boarding House, Damon was pouring a Bourbon, "Do you want one?" Elena shook her head no. Damon continued "So she told you all that, I'm going to have a talk with Bon about BFF sharing."

Damon took a big swig of the amber liquid courage, he was in this deep, there was no going back now, "As a vampire forever has meaning, for a human forever is 70 or 80 years until someone dies. You haven't been a vampire for long enough to understand what forever really means. You haven't lived through lifetimes watched generations come and go. I have. When I say 'You are my everything'. It means everything forever, for the rest of time. I just don't know that you understand what or how to comprehend or process that. I don't even know if it is right for me to think about you in that way or talk to you about our relationship like that. It might not be fair to you. I love you so much, I have to do right by you."

Elena recognizes this Damon, she isn't going to let this Damon back in, with a voice that is strong and demanding, "You are concerned that I can't understand what a commitment to you means, what forever means to a vampire because I can only comprehend words by human definitions. You have a point. I haven't lived to see my friends or family grow old and die, I've also lost most of my family in death. I don't know what the future brings Damon. I know that I loved you once, I thought you died, I had Alaric compel my love for you away, all my good memories of you, every single thing that made me love you so that I could move on. I know that you came back, within a moment of you coming back, I was compelling my boyfriend to forget me, and helping you find a way to bring Bonnie back. I couldn't stay away from you. I fell in love with you all over again, not just once, but twice in one lifetime. What does that mean Damon? Elena Gilbert falls in love with Damon Salvatore twice in one lifetime despite being set up for failure, despite Stefan, and being compelled to hate you. I don't know about fate or soul mates. I know that in this lifetime, the next or the next 5000 lifetimes, I will fall in love with you during each one of them. You think what you want, you work through your doubts, you go ahead and figure out your internal hang-ups, I've dealt with all of them before, Bonnie has told me that much. I know this fact, vampire or human or spirit Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore will always find their way to each other. You do what you have to do. I have all the time left in eternity to fight for us, to wait for you to figure out what my heart has known since we met. So you Damon Salvatore can sit here and wrestle with all the self-doubts you want to. I'm going to go upstairs to OUR bedroom, get undressed, and wait for you in OUR bed. You can join me when you finally figure out that I'm always going to be our bed waiting for you to trust and know that we are unbreakable forever."

Damon's mind comes back to the present, he is back in the living room of the Salvatore boarding house, staring at the vaulted ceiling. Elena is upstairs, in their bed, exactly where he should be waiting for her to wake up, because "they are unbreakable". Damon goes to the staircase and climbs the stairs two at a time.

The morning came early for Damon. He woke up next to Elena, rolled over and kissed her. He got in the shower and told her what he was up to for the rest of the day. He knew she wasn't going to answer back, there was something comforting about sharing his thoughts with her body, even if her mind couldn't respond. He felt she could hear him for some reason. He finished dressing, gave her a quick kiss goodbye and headed downstairs. He needed to get ready to talk with Bonnie, this wasn't a discussion he was looking forward to having, he was hoping a kitchen that smelled of freshly brewed coffee and crackling bacon would set the right mood.

An hour later, the kitchen swing door starts to move, Bonnie takes a deep breath, "Looks like you've been up for a while, what's on your mind, my friend?" She stares at Damon as she grabs the cup of coffee that is in his extended hand.

Damon stares directly into Bonnie's eyes, "We need to talk" He takes Bonnie into his arms, and Enzo appears. Damon starts to tell them, his idea. "Bonnie, you have dedicated your life so many times for all of us. This is a chance, a slim chance that you can be the one that gets what you want, what you need to be happy. This should not have happened to Enzo. He wasn't supposed to die. Cade caused it, un-natural magic caused Stefan to do it. We think that it can be undone. We think we can bring back Enzo, but as we know there are always consequences with magic. To do it, we can't create new magic, it has to be magic that already exists. When we wake up Elena, all that magic can be transferred somewhere, when we unblock Stefan's magic, that is a 2000 year old spell that we have to transfer, that is a lot of magic that can go somewhere. We have Bennett blood and in your locket, we have Enzo's blood." Damon points to her neck. Bonnie instinctually raises her hand to protect it.

Damon continues, "Stef and I talked to Demetrius, we asked about whether or not we could harness the magic that kept the Gaia's Magic locked for all these centuries, could we use the element magic during the awakening process to collect and redirect all that magic. His answer was yes, all that magic did not have to return to its source. A combo of Bennett and nature's magic to collect Kai's Gemini magic, the outgoing magic and transfer it to Enzo's bones with the combination of bloods to bring him back. We wouldn't be creating new magic, we would be harnessing old magic and repurposing it."

Damon pauses "Bonnie, Now the bad news, if it doesn't work, part of the spell will also close the dimension that you created for Enzo. Enzo soul will not be able to stay there, he will have to move on. If it doesn't work, you will never be able to connect with him again. Bonnie, if this doesn't work, you will not be able to see or talk to him like this again. This connection will be gone forever."

Enzo reaches for her cheek, his spirit hand caresses, she hears his voice say "Love, we have to try. You know I believe that regardless of what may happen, one day we will be together forever. Perhaps today starts forever, perhaps not. Our forever may start when you join me when you have lived this life to its fullest. Living this life to its fullest means taking risks, love, this is a risk worth taking."

Bonnie doesn't move her eyes from Enzo's, she lifts her hands to her necklace and nods 'yes' as she pulls off the chain from her neck. Damon tightens his grip on her shoulders, "We have a lot of work to do, to make this happen, Bon. We are going to make this work." He heard the entire conversation, he knows the emotional heartbreak that they are risking. He was there, Bonnie just handed him her lifeline to Enzo, to seeing him, talking to him, feeling his presences for the next 60 or 70 years, until they met again. He was just there with Elena, he felt all those same emotions, he kissed the top of her head and whispered, making sure to use her high school nickname, "Hey Judgy, we know all the witchy loopholes now. I promise you aren't going to wait for 60 or 70 years. We are going to get him back NOW, I promise."

Bonnie looked up at him, thinking 'did Damon really just read my mind? He isn't a vampire anymore.'


	7. Chapter 7 - A New Life Dares to Begin

Chapter 7 – A New Life Dares to Begin

Damon's life over the past 3 days created a new routine partly out of necessity and the other part out of good ole Damon selfishness he thought, after Bonnie and Enzo agreed to the plan, Damon realized he needed to know everything he could about the ancient magic they were dealing with. He owed it to Bonnie, he wasn't going to "Damon" he way through this. That night he laid next to Elena and started talking to her, he told her all of his ideas, his concerns, the information he had learned from Demetrius, in his mind the plan started to come together. He took her hand in his, it wasn't warm, it wasn't cold either, he found comfort in her body just being there, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, this is how his days ended. They started in a much different way, much more Damon like, his eyes would open to the sunlight coming through his bedroom windows, his human eyes could adjust much quicker than his vampire ones, as much as his vampire skin and body enjoyed the 4 superior quality shower heads he insisted on over a decade ago, his human body relished them so very much more, adding at least 5 more minutes to shower time. His sleep quality had improved so much with Elena next to him, he was often the first one up in the house. Damon took on the task of breakfast chef, this also gave him time to grill Demetrius about Gaia and Nature's Magic before the separation into the elements.

On day 2, Demetrius gave Damon an idea, that night he talked it over with Elena, "Honey, when Demetrius was talking about how they had to scatter the magics to defeat Qetsiyah. They first had to weaken her blood magic by appointing her with consecrated botanical oils from Gaia's earth magic. That got me thinking, Kai used Bonnie's blood to link you with Gemini magic. What if we weaken the blood magic link with the same type of botanical oils before we perform the magic transfers. Demetrius isn't sure if the Gemini magic will be affected, he does think that the botanicals will strength your doppelganger blood magic, as a side effect of Nature's magic can be used a win for our side. It will add natural elements to your body, that isn't part of blood or Gemini magic. The idea is having both doppelganger bloods charged and in the mix during the spell will give a little extra if we need it. With all our plans, having a little extra seems to be a great idea." He looks at her expressionless face, what a double edge sword this has been, having her so close, but not here at all. He sent her away 'Who is Damon Salvatore without Elena Gilbert?' He found out that question, there was no reason to ask again, this was better by far. Tomorrow he gets the 411 on how to create the botanical oils and start the ritual with Elena's body.

Day 3 started out with detailed instructions from Demetrius, Stefan was sitting next to Damon at the kitchen table with one hand resting on his arm. Stefan, he was listening to everything Demetrius and Damon talked about, the question came out "Damon, one of my elements is water, I'm not a witch yet. How can the water for the ritual be spelled or energized by me if I don't have magic?" Demetrius "Stefan, how can you see me? You are using magic. Your ability to conjure your own magic may not have awakened. At this moment you are controlling Damon's magic, you have the ability to control magic, this means you are magical, you don't have your own magic. That is why you will be able to use access your elements through Damon. It will not be as strong, however, it will work, it will combine with Damon's elements to give enough power to energize the water to perform the ritual. Fueling the water-energy will require energy from fire, because you will be using Damon's magic, the fire may burn you, please keep this in mind." Stefan looked at Damon "I've been burnt by hellfire, any other fire is nothing." Damon with deep concern in his voice, "Stef" Stefan's replied in a direct harsh voice "It's for Elena!" Damon nodded his head. The brothers were in agreement, the ritual would proceed.

Damon followed all of Demetrius instructions. As he was driving back to the Boarding house, Damon realized that he was quite comfortable with his magical powers, he had performed a dozen spells without any problems, no 'Damon hiccups' as Elena would call his act first, think last situations. He smiles, maybe there is something to be said about destiny, Bon will never let me live it down, Damon Salvatore a natural-born witch. The cell phone rings – it's Stefan, "I'm 10 away. How's everything going on your end?"

Stefan answers, "Good here at the Boarding House. We may have a situation, Matt just called the hospital is missing blood. We may have a vampire in town. He wanted to give us a heads up. Caroline headed over to the hospital to have a look around." Damon concerned, "Is Bon at the house?"

Stefan replies "She has already put a barrier spell up for all vampires, she added Caroline's blood to link her to the spell so she can enter and exit." Damon hears the worry in Stefan's voice "You are worried about Caroline. She's smart, she isn't going to put herself in harm's way, she staked you, remember." Stefan half-laughed "Yes, she did kill me dead, didn't she, she is out there alone, without any backup. Damon, I just don't..." Stefan stops talking.

Damon "I know Stefan, I know. Blondie can take care of herself. She is better than any of us, give her credit, she has earned it. Remember the Scooby Gang days. Who did we always send out as Klaus bait? She always did the job and always came back. She is …. Speaking of Blondie, she is on the other line, hold on Stef" Damon switches the line on this cell, "You are giving your husband all sorts of grief, Sister in law."

Caroline responds, "He'll survive. I'm at the hospital. Damon, this is crazy. The blood that is missing is all the AB neg plus 2 patients with ABneg were drained within an inch of life last night when the nurses checked on them this morning they were hooked up to transfusions with universal O positive blood. Someone is jones'ing for AB neg big time, but doesn't want to kill." Damon pauses for a brief second, his voice tone is worrisome as it begins, "Crap, we have a problem." Caroline "Clearly, we have a problem."

Damon confirms, "No, we have a big problem. Donavan is ABneg, you need to find him. Now Caroline, who or whatever is doing this will paint a target on the middle of our fair sheriff's back. Care, find him. I'm on my way." Caroline "No, I've got this. You get back to the house, we need you and Stefan bonded or witching, just alive. Do what needs to happen. I'll find Matt and get him to the house."

Damon put his foot down, ok maybe he wasn't a vampire, he still knew how to drive, drive fast, drive well at a fast speed, vampire, human or witch, as the wind blew through his hair, he smiled, he was right, Blondie was all grown up, she would be just fine.

Damon walked into the house to Sheriff Matthew Donavan "Damn it Caroline Elizabeth Forbes Salvatore, I'm the damn Sheriff, you can't just go around manhandling me. You have no right to do what you did. Caroline take these damn cuffs off me. NOW, I mean it. Caroline! Stefan this is not funny. Tell her to give me the key. She kidnapped me, it is against the law. Damn it."

Caroline yells, "Matt, I wasn't trying to hurt you. You weren't listening, you were being stubborn. As I was trying so hard to explain, we are trying to keep you safe un…" Matt frustrated and raising his voice louder, "It's my job to keep this town safe. I think I know what the word safe is all about. Damn it, Caroline, give me the keys."

Everything goes silent as Damon slams the door, "Hello Scoobies, what did I miss?" he scans the room, Matt is sitting on the sofa with his arms behind his back. Stefan is leaning on the wall by the fireplace trying very hard not to smile. Caroline's standing pose is quite impressively intimidating, she had her arm crossed, glaring at Matt, the whites of her eyes had a pink glow to them. There were no maybes, Mrs. Caroline Elizabeth Forbes Salvatore was pissed off.

Caroline at her witts end, "Good you're here, what took you so long? I thought you were going to be here first."

Damon surprised, "Apparently, may I ask, why the Sheriff of Mystic Falls is in our living room, in handcuffs?" Caroline turns to look at Damon, "Because he is being humanly male stubborn stupid! That's why!"

Matt yelling "Damn it, Caroline. I'm the Sheriff, it's my job. I'm done talking to you." Matt stands up, with the most authoritative voice he could muster while being handcuffed "Caroline Elizabeth Forbes Salvatore, you are under arrest for kidnapping an officer of the law, obstructing justice, and any other charge I can come up with. Now give me the damn key."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Give me a break" walked out of the living room towards the kitchen, she handed the key to Damon as she passed him. Damon had to give it to his sister in law, she was a stubborn one, he got to know that about her when Ripper Stefan was raging, he had to admit, he really loved that about her, as long as it wasn't direct toward him, he smiled as he took pity on Sheriff Donovan.

Matt stared at Damon with the 'are you going to do something about this' look, and in an angry demanding voice, "She actually put me in a bag. Damon, a freaking body bag, and carried me out of the police station. I told her, I'm the Sheriff, I have a job to do here. I wouldn't leave with her. Her answer to that, put me, the elected Sheriff of Mystic Falls into a freaking body bag and carry me out of my own police station. Can you believe that?"

Damon tilted his head, and smirked, thinking classic Damon 'wrong action, right reasons', he tried to keep a straight face, laughing out loud wouldn't help his relationship with the Sheriff of Mystic Falls that he was really working at improving. Damon added a sympathetic tone to his voice, "Matt, I'm going to say something that you are not going to like. I agree with her. You are safer here in this house for now, just for now. Something is out there that is going after AB negative blood. You are AB negative, we need you safe, Sheriff. Bonnie has made this house the safest place in town for you. Let's work together Sheriff to figure out what Supernatural evil this is and then, we can come up with a real plan, maybe even use you for bait." Damon paused and watched Matt's eyes brighten "Then Sheriff Donovan it is your job to kill it, making Mystic Falls safe for all its citizens. We both have to agree, regular human bullets aren't going to keep you safe with a Supernatural enemy on the loose. You need Witchy protection, this house has 3 of them at your disposal."

Damon walked behind Matt, he unlocked the cuffs. He handed both cuffs and key to Matt, "I would really appreciate if my sister in law wasn't arrested for trying to save your life. If you have to arrest someone." Damon put his arms out "It should be me, I'm the one that told her to bring you here, no matter what you said. We have to keep you save, Sheriff Donovan. Elena would kill me if she wakes up and you're not around."

Matt takes a deep breath and pulls out his phone "I need to call the station." With his phone in hand, he looks up "Tell Caroline, I don't want her damn 'I'm sorry cookies' she always burns them, and they taste horrible." Matt pauses for effect "And I will never EVER accept her apology." He raises his voice a little louder, "You stuffed me in a bag. I'm the damn Sheriff, Caroline, not just some human that is last on the priority list." His voice goes up a few more volume decibels "Yes, I know vampire ears can everything." Damon didn't smile or change his posture at all, one of these days, he is going to sit Mr. Sheriff Matthew Donavan down and explain where exactly he is on the vampire priority list.

Damon's text alert diverts his attention, he looks down, it is from Caroline – _Going to Matt's to pick up his essentials_. Damon gets the Sheriff's attention, "Matt here's what we know from the hospital," Damon sat down on the couch, Stefan walks into the living room and joins them. Over the next hour, Damon and Stefan told Matt about a few of the vampires they had come across over the years with different types of feeding patterns. Damon called it "vampire kink". Stefan got up and poured the first round of Bourbon, tensions ease a bit. The men sat back in the couch with a more relaxed posture, Matt is having a hard time with letting go of the day's events as the bourbon starts working, "I still can't get over Caroline, seriously, she stuffed me in a body bag she stole from the supply closet. What the hell was she thinking!"

Stefan defends his wife's actions, "She was thinking, how am I going to save the life of one of my oldest and dearest friend, who isn't listening and being cooperative. She knows what it felt like to lose me for a time. She wasn't going to lose you."

Damon chimed in "Especially when she could do something about it. Sheriff, that priority list you were talking about earlier. That human/vampire priority list that you seem to think your name is last on. If you'd like to make a wager, I would gladly take your money. You, Sheriff, are on the top of Caroline's list, and whether or not you want to see it, she just proved it." Stefan and Damon clinked their glasses together to make the point, to drive the point in, Caroline walks in the front door with a bag in hand. She walks over and stops directly in front of Matt, pauses, glares him straight in the eye, huffs, rolls her eyes at him, drops the bag at his feet, turns and walks away. Stefan and Damon look at Matt, then each other, smile, Damon suggests "Matt, I'm not telling you what to do, I'm suggesting you make peace with her before Thanksgiving. Stefan can tell you, she will shut you out of Friendsgiving. She will do it, it will be bad." Stefan nods his head "yes, very bad."

Matt leans over and opens the bag. Caroline went to his place, she got him an overnight bag, ok, for a few days. As he is going through all the items, he realizes just how well she knows him. He isn't happy about it, one of his oldest friends is a vampire, that is what Caroline is. He touches his favorite sleeping shirt, she remembered. He would make peace, he smiled… Tomorrow, she needed to suffer, just a little too.. She did stuff him in a body bag.

Caroline is in the kitchen starting dinner when Stefan joins in. Caroline starts in, "He is such a stubborn jack ass, his stubborn human person could have been dead. I smelled ABneg blood all over the street when I was walking into the Police Station, someone had been in front of the station before I got there. I tried to follow the scent, it was everywhere, I couldn't pinpoint it. Matt wouldn't listen. He has always been so stubborn, so .. He makes me so mad. I know I should have given him a choice. I can't believe I did it. I did a classic "Damon". I was thinking about that when I was at Matt's place. We are always judging Damon for doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, yet somehow when push comes to shove, we have all done it, you did it when Bonnie marked me, you vervained me, and got me out of town. I just shoved Matt in a body bag, I did kidnap him from his office. What made me think that was ok?" Stefan wrapped his arms around his wife "Because Matt is on your list. Damon once told me not to walk away from my List of Loved Ones. You, my amazing Wife have a long full List of Loved Ones and Sheriff Matt Donovan is on that list, and you can't imagine a world without him in it. Caroline, it is that simple. Call it classic "Damon" wrong action for the right reasons, call it whatever you want. You did it because you will do anything to protect the ones that you love." Caroline turned in her husband's arms, put her arms around his neck, "Guess who's at the top of the list?" Stefan didn't answer with words, he leaned down and took her mouth under his just to prove her point. Dinner was a little late.

Up in Damon and Elena's room, Damon got into bed next to Elena. He touched her face. He had so much to tell her, somehow the words didn't come out. He kissed her on the lips. He laid his head on the pillow, his thoughts as he fell asleep 'Not tonight, I will tell you everything tomorrow, right after we wake you up'.


	8. Chapter 8 - Today is Finally Here

Chapter 8 – Today is the Day

Everyone is at the breakfast table, Damon looks down the table, and feels anxious. Today, is the day I get Elena back, my family will be complete. He looks at his brother, Stefan is talking to Caroline, with an instinct of absentmindedness reaches over and refills her Orange Juice. Bonnie is holding onto Damon's arm while talking Enzo, and a laugh escapes her lips, she releases Damon's arm long enough for Enzo to disappear and the laugh to stop. Damon feels the pressure again, and Bonnie's smile returns.

That is Damon's cue to start the conversation about today's plan. "Big day today, people. Lot's of magical preparations to get ready. Just a reminder, there are 4 major spells that are being broken or transferred today. So let's not screw this up people. Stefan and I are heading out to the Magical Man Cave after breakfast to start prepping it. Caroline, you and Bonnie are going to bring Elena and this list in a few hours. Bonnie, please eat, you need as much energy as possible. Caroline same with you, you can't have any blood bags near the Magical Man cave, make sure your ready for anything, we have no idea what is going to happen and you're the strongest one of us."

Ric, Matt and Jeremy walk into the kitchen. Damon "About time you guys arrived, did you find them? Ric "Yes, it wasn't easy. Next time, Bonnie's Mom's back yard isn't the best pinpointed spot to start digging. But, yes, we found Enzo's bones." Damon "Ok, you guys, get to the breakfast part. I'll head upstairs and start getting Elena ready."

Bonnie "Do you need help?" Damon "Thanks, Stef and I have got it. All the ritual parts have to come from nature's magic for now at least. I'll let you know if we need an extra pair of hands. "Bonnie nods

In Damon's bedroom.

Damon adds the last of the ingredients into the bathtub. "Never thought, We'd be making potions in a bathtub." Stefan is stirring the bowl of essential oils as directed. "Tell me about it. The Salvatore brothers from human to vampires to witches, how the hell did fate cook that one up."

Damon "Last night, I was just laying next to Elena thinking about the moment I realized she was sired to me. How devastated I was. I watched her drink from that blood bag, knowing I couldn't trust anything that she had said or felt for me, during what I thought was the best moments of my existence. It was truly the lowest moment of my life. With every swallow she took, I couldn't deny that she was sired, all those feelings she had, all the moments that we shared weren't real, or at least I convinced myself they weren't at the time. She always knew better, she knew that all that we felt was real. She had so much faith in our love, in how much we felt. She tried and tried to convince me. I wouldn't listen, I couldn't believe that she could just love me for me, the way that I truly loved her. The part that I realized last night was actually almost comical, all that time I worried about her being sired to me, I've actually been sired to her. I've been 'sired' to Elena Gilbert since the first time I laid eyes on her in the middle of the road. She had inspired me on every level, changed me to my very core, made me want to be the better person." Damon walks over to the side of the bed where Elena is, he reaches and caresses her cheek. "The big bad Damon Salvatore brought from bad to humanity by this frail, weak, stubborn, iron-willed, warrior human Elena Gilbert, boy, did I underestimate her."

Stefan "I learned early on that she was stronger than I was/am. She could take more, be more, handle more that I could as a human or vampire. She was right, when she accused me of wanting to fix her with the cure, I didn't understand it at the time, I didn't know how to deal with the fact that even thought she hated everything about being a vampire, she would find peace with it. That was something that I would never be able to do." Stefan looked at Damon "You knew she would, you always knew she would be find her way as a vampire. You loved her unconditionally either way. I was jealous of that love you had for her, being able to love the light and the dark of her. I guess I could see her happy with having a dark side as being part of her. One day it came to me, you were there for her in ways that I never could be, or was able to be. Despite everything that I felt, you two were good together, you belonged together, together both of you made each other better, more complete, you fought as one. The reasons or excuses I made to be upset or jealous just weren't there anymore. Damon and Elena belonged together, it was your story. I couldn't deny it."

Damon "I was going through something similar, I knew I didn't deserve her, all the evil and pain I had inflicted throughout my life, how could someone so good , caring, loving, how could I ever deserve her love? The more I pushed her away, the more my heart filled with her, the more I wanted to do good, to earn her. It was hell, pure torture." Damon smiled. "We better stop this sentimental crap, she is going to give both of us hell when she wakes up, listening to all this." Both brothers let out a chuckle.

Damon "Are you ready to energize the water now?" Stefan walks over to the bathtub "Are you sure I can do this? If it isn't just right the entire ritual can fail."

Damon "Just like we build the temple … I mean "Magical Man Cave". You will channel the water, and use my power to energize the water with your magical essence, and then I will do the same thing with Elena immersed in it. It will work, it will help her human body be at it's strongest to help the spell work, and channel her doppelganger blood magic together with ours so we can transfer all the spell magic to Enzo." Damon paused and looked at Elena, then back at Stefan "It will work, it has to for Bonnie, for Elena, we need a Big win".

Stefan "I'm ready" Damon walks over to the window and opens it wide, he leans out. The sun rays bounce off his skin, the warm charge his body, he raises his arms and a gentle breeze swirls around him. Now Damon is ready, he turns and heads over to Stefan. Damon takes Stefan hand, the wind is now blowing around both of them creating a wall of protection. Stefan leans down and puts his hand in the water. The bath water begins to bubble and burst, large drops drift upwards and hover over the tub as Damon and Stefan begin to chant, the ancient Greek words of ritual. As the last verse is said the wind dies down slowly, the hovering drops of water begin to descend. Then it is done and all is calm. Damon is breathing deeply, he feels drained of power and energy. Stefan can feel how weak Damon is, he wraps his arm around his brother and takes him to the open window, Stefan knows this will help immediately, Stefan smiles, better than blood, he thinks to himself. At the window, Damon feels the wind surround him, the sun on this face, the color immediate returns, his breath eases, this strength returns, his legs are strong again and hold his full weight again. Damon grabs the window sill and turns to Stefan "Now that was a Woww, I have never felt energy drain like that before. I really felt you pulling your power from me. It was so different from when we built the temple. I had no idea how much of my power I was pulling from the earth. I guess that means, I'm going to have to move my bedroom to the atrium." Damon feel himself again, recharged and strong, turned and looked at Elena.

Stefan caught the concern in Damon's eyes "Do you need a hand? I can help you with getting Elena ready." Damon looked into Stefan worried eyes, he knew that Stefan was worried about him as much, maybe even more than Elena. "Brother, I am truly well and re-energized. Elena and I will be fine together. I can do this, she is in the best of hands. I will call you if anything changes, I promise, I will not endanger either of us." He nodded his head and turned back to the sun soaking up all the rays.

Damon stayed at the window for 5 more minutes making sure that all his energy reserves were filled, that he was as strong as he could be. That wasn't supposed to be a tough spell, he thought, it was Stefan who help drain all the power so fast. That didn't matter now, all that mattered was getting Elena ready for today, she was going to come back to him today. He turns around with the sun on this back, facing the bed wear Elena lies. He thinks about lying next to her the last few nights, how it has been both ecstasy and a curse. Having her so close, yet not having her. He had calmness and peace laying next to her at night, his heart and soul were as one, one with her. How did Damon Salvatore fall hopelessly in love with a mere human, who made him alive again. He walked over to the bed.

As he pulled the blanket down, he realized that Elena was still dressed in clothes the he and Caroline changed her into the night he woke up a witch. Damon went to his desk drawer and got a pair of scissors, he wasn't going to try and contort Elena out of these clothes, too much effort, cutting them off of her seemed an easier approach. Back at Elena's side, he slowly and carefully glide the scissors edge up the leg of the pants, slicing the fabric in two all the way to the waistband. He repeated the procedure on the other side. After laying the scissors on the night stand, he gently raised her leg to remove the cut pants. Her skin was so pale, with a sickly tone to it. He then carefully lifted her into his arms and slid his body under hers. With her back on his chest, he rested with his arm holding her. "Soon, I will hold you and you will hear me tell you how much I love you, you will listen to my confession of how hard it was without you, the mistakes I made, the lessons you taught me, and the life I want to share with you, if you still will have me." Damon slowly pulled Elena's shirt off her arms, and then over her head. He lifted her again and slide her back onto the bed. He stared a minute at her, God she is beautiful, how he missed the way her body felt on his. At this moment, he wanted her eyes to open, so he could kiss every inch of her body, the memory of that threat in the Mystic Fall High School hallway at Jeremy's teacher's conference made him smile. Right then he put it on the list of things to do when she woke, he was going to make good on that threat.

Damon shook his head, "Stop with the distractions" he said out loud. He went to the dresser and got the bowl of oils that Stefan had been working on. He took his hands and cupped the oils, turning them to coat his hands, he looked to the window, and a warm wind start flowing through, it began circle him and the bed that Elena laid on. Damon carefully took Elena's leg and began massaging the oil into it. The color of the skin immediately started changing, he could feel the warmth of the blood circulating faster, stronger. He kept going until all the oil from his hand was absorb, he dipped into the bowl again, and went down to her feet, he never noticed she had a mole on the top of her little toe. The thought came to him, how many times had he seen her amazing body but never really looked, cherished, he had brought her pleasure. There was so much more of her to know. Yet another item for the his mental list. Her other leg began to get its color back as the oil were absorbed. He moved up to her hips, his hands spanned over them and remembered each curve easily. He continued until he had covered her entire body, making sure to every inch of skin was slick to the touch. As he got to her face, he couldn't stop the tears, his soul, mind and body was reacting to every touch his hand was making. His fingers touched her forehead, and his lips followed, down the bridge of her nose, over her cheeks, across her lips and circled her chin. He kissed each of her cheeks before he sat up. He paused and looked at her naked body, another item for the list he thought. Her skin looked normal, she was strong again, he could feel it. He felt the desire that was stirring in her, she was aware, he knew it.

He went to the closet, all the way in the back, he pulled out a garment bag and carefully unzipped it. Inside was the dress from so many years ago, he bought it while he was in Europe. She had just been taken away from him. He needed to keep her in his life, his thoughts, his actions. So when they passed the little shop window, he saw this dress, he saw Elena wearing it, he went back and bought it. He packed it away, hid it from every one, especially himself, during all those evil times, he kept it safe for her. He never understood why he saved, protected this dress. Now he did. This was the dress she would wake in. He walked over to the bed, and carefully put her dress on her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He placed her hand around his shoulder and slide his hands underneath her, once she was safely in his arms, he carried her downstairs.

Stefan was in the living room with Caroline and Bonnie, when Damon reached the bottom of the stairs. Stefan looked up "Are you ready to head out?" Damon "Yep, is everything packed in the SUV? Don't forget your daylight ring?" holding Elena in his arms, he looks at Stefan. Stefan pulls his hand out of his pocket to shows off his daylight ring. Caroline and Bonnie head to the front door, Bonnie "Everything on the list has been checked and double checked, it is in the back. Matt is holding down the fort, keeping an eye on the police reports for AB activity."

Damon gently pulls Elena in the backseat of the SUV, seatbelts her in, as if she isn't in a magical coma. Caroline climbs in and secures her a little more with a pillow once the passenger door is shut. Bonnie gets in and Stefan climbs in the front with Damon driving. Damon looks in the rear view mirror, and smiles. Stefan catches the smile "What's got you so chipper?" Damon "I was just thinking about my profound list." Damon looked over his shoulder and smiled. Stefan realized what Damon was talking about "Yes, indeed, it is profound". The drive was quiet until Stefan started speaking "I've been thinking about this whole Enzo coming back part, I think we are missing a piece of the puzzle." Damon "Ok, speak".

Stefan "We have all the good magic represented Bonnie's blood, Nature's magic, but it is evil magic that took Enzo, Ripper Stefan under the control and mandate of Cade that murdered him." Stefan looked at Bonnie through the reflection of the window, she was intently listening "I think that we need to add some of my human blood into the blood spell before I unblock my magic. While Ripper Stefan is still dying. If Ripper Stefan is completely dead, than the evil that killed Enzo would be able to die in the transfer as well, letting the good conquer the evil." Damon lets out a deep breath, "hmm, that is a very very interesting theory. It holds a lot of weight, nature requires balance. Good verses evil, there is always a struggle. You and I are having an issue with the other shoe dropping as it is."

At the temple, Damon and Stefan start preparations. Ric arrives with Enzo's bones. They start putting all the bones in their proper places. Damon "Who knew so many bones. Hey Enzo, you don't mind if we have a few out of order, do you?" Bonnie responds "Yes, I do. I want all of them exactly where they belong. I'm here to make sure they are correct." She smiles at Damon. Damon stops and looks for Caroline, he sees her bringing Elena and rushes to her. Damon carefully takes Elena from Caroline arms.

Damon carries Elena to an alter made of rose quartz that was risen from the mine below, than lays her on top of the cherry blossoms and rose petals that cover the top. He smoothes her hair and kisses her forehead. He takes a bowl that contains a paste of herbs that Demetrius helped him create, he makes the signs of earth her forehead, wind on the top of her foot, thumbing the mole on the top of her little toe with a smile, fire on the inside of her palm, and water on the inside of her other palm. Damon calls for Stefan. Stefan walks over to the altar. He looks at Elena and takes her hand for just a second before looking at Damon. Damon holds out the bowl, Stefan reaches in to dip his hand cover his palm with the herbal paste. Damon does the same. Damon lowers the shoulder strap of Elena's dress, he places his palm down onto Elena skin right over her heart, than lifts straight up, leaving his hand print. Stefan follows Damon route with one exception, his hand print crosses Damon's print. Bonnie is watching the brother very closely "What is that? What are you doing?" Damon "It is a herbal paste made of nature herbs angelica, cinnamon, galangal, & wormwort, they are to help channel nature and resist evil." Bonnie brings the empty bowl over to the altar with Enzo's bones. Damon has the knife in hand, "Bonnie we need to get the blood ready, are you sure about this?" Bonnie takes the knife from Damon's hand, and cuts her wrist. She picked a good vein because she knows a lot will be needed.

Damon pulls Bonnie's necklace out of his pocket. She looks and it, then looks up at Damon, her eyes are filled with longing and hope, she nods. Damon pulls the glass chamber of blood out and breaks it into the bowl. Enzo and Bonnie's blood mix together, then Stefan takes the knife, and cuts his hand "Now let's add some doppelganger and a dash of evil for a little bit of luck, shall we." The blood begins to flow from the open wound. Damon takes the bowl of blood and pours it onto each bone. Damon takes his place at the altars, Stefan follows to his place, Bonnie stands between Damon and the altar with Enzo's bones. Damon speaks, "ok everyone, remember love is the power, you have to channel the purest thoughts and feelings of love you have. Bonnie keep your spell going until I tell you to stop, keep pulling the magic to Enzo, don't stop no matter what happens." Damon looks at Stefan "Stefan, our power is from our brother bond, trust it, there are thoughts and feels that you are going to have to fight through to unblock your magic, trials you will face, our brother bond is the key, ALWAYS, no matter you might see or hear in your trance, you have to remember, brother bond, it is the only way this will work. I have your back. I am here. Remember the words, if you forget them, feel me, feel my love for you." Damon looked Stefan in the eyes with a tenderness that he had not seen since they were children, a time when Stefan knew Damon would protect him with his very life. Stefan knew they could do this. Damon and Stefan clasped hands. Damon felt the earth beneath his feet and the wind begins to swirl around the temple, as a protection wall. Stefan began to channel his power from Damon, the waterfall began to flow and the fire pits ignited. The brothers began to chant.

The images begin inside Stefan's head, faint at first, he tries to focus on what Damon said earlier 'brother bond', he repeats this over and over in his thoughts. All of a sudden, his eyes open and there is Caroline begin chased by hybrids, 6 of them, they are gaining, Damon is behind them, a tree flies to knock 2 of them out of the way. Damon yells, "I've got this, stay with Elena, protect her. I'll keep Caroline safe." Stefan looks down, he was at the altar with Elena surrounded by a ring of fire, he was protecting Elena with his magic, if he stopped, Elena would be completely exposed. He heard Caroline scream. Stefan looked up, one of the hybrids was dangling upside down from a tree branch, Damon's arm was stretched outward. Four other hybrids were moving in, all of a sudden a wall of wind surrounded Caroline. Stefan heart skipped a beat. Then he saw Damon, Katherine had a knife at Damon's throat. Katherine looked at Stefan "Choose Stefan, your brother, or Caroline" Damon yelled "NO .. NO Stefan.. I have this. I can protect Caroline. You have to protect Elena.. I have this, I will not fail you. I love you brother. Brother, we can do this together." Stefan understood, Katherine burst in flames, all the images disappeared.

Stefan opened his eyes. Damon's hands were no longer locked with his, the waterfall flowed stronger, the fire pits flamed higher, Stefan felt the elements through his own body, he no longer felt Damon's presence in his magic. It was only his now. Damon got Stefan's attention "Welcome to the Game! Shall we make some magic, Brother" Stefan smiles, nods and raises his arms. Damon says "Ok, Bonnie, you're on. Caroline, time for you to get into position." Caroline walks around to Stefan, he looks at her and mouths "I love you" She puts her arms around his waist "Ok, I'm in position." Damon takes a hold of Elena's hand and locks his other hand with Bonnie's. Stefan takes Elena's other hand and puts his other hand into the water basin. Bonnie begins to chant, she lays her free hand on Enzo's blood covered bones. The brothers begin to chant, the winds begin to gall, the fires blaze higher, clouds start to cover the temple overhead, the sounds of thunder is heard. And then a flash of lightning crashes on to the altar base with Enzo's bones the electric energy starts flowing through the entire altar. Damon pulls Bonnie's hand away from Enzo's bones. Smoke fills the area, it blackens the air, and the darkness is everywhere.

No one can see anything. Fog cover and smoke have blanketed the temple. The wind has died, the fire pits are out, the smoke is bellowing out of the bowls everywhere, the waterfalls have stopped flowing. Stefan is the first to speak "Is everyone ok? I can't see you Damon, Bonnie, someone say something?" He feels Caroline's arms around him. He knows she is fine. She squeezes him "I'll go see." He grabs her arms before she releases him "No, stay with me. Let's give it a minute."

Damon feels a tug on his hand, it is Elena, Damon feels her moving, then he hears the sweetest sound he has been longing for, Elena voice "Damon.. Damon" cough..cough.. Damon responds to Elena "Elena, Baby, I'm here, Everything is ok, your fine. We are all here. Care is here, Bonnie is here, so is Stefan, he is holding your other hand, he is on the other side of you. Just hold on, don't move. You are fine." Damon holds onto Elena tightly, Bonnie still hasn't moved, he is worried, he can't see anything. Damon voice shuttered "Stefan, Bonnie hasn't moved. Get a hold of Elena, I don't know how strong she is. I have better access to Bonnie. Bring Elena toward my voice. I have to make sure she is ok." Damon feels Elena being pulled from his grasp, he lets go. He pulls Bonnie into his other arm, close to his body, he can finally see her, she is unconscious, with blood dripping from her nose. As he puts his arms underneath her legs, he feels another arm grasping her, then the familiar voice "Mate, You have your own woman, this one is mine." That familiar voice is Enzo's. He lets Bonnie gently slide into Enzo's arms "Welcome back, friend." Enzo looks at Damon then down at Bonnie "Thank you for bringing me back and Thank you for taking care of this one. She is going to be just fine." That last part sound more like a question then a statement. Damon responded "She just needs a little nap. She always thinks she is invincible."

Damon feels a sense of relief. He realizes that he needs to lower the protection wall that he had created to keep everyone safe. He smiled, he had become mother earth. Damon took a big breath, relaxed, he let thoughts of love, safety and peace flow through his mind. Slowly the fog starts to dissipate, the outlines of everyone become clearer. Damon sees Elena for the first time, cradled in Stefan's arms. Her eyes meet his immediately, her body turns, and he takes a step towards her. He has her in his arms before he remembers that he moved, his lips are on her before he takes a breath. Elena breaks the kiss, she buries her head into Damon's neck, and whispers "Is Bonnie ok?"

Damon's trance is broken. He turns to look at Enzo, a little shocked at what he sees, naked Enzo holding Bonnie. Damon smiles "She is going to be just fine. We need to get her into bed. BonBon loves to be dramatic." Damon directs his next comment at Enzo "We really need to get you some clothes. Oppss best laid plans, something always falls through the cracks. Mate."

Damon looks around, Stefan has Caroline in his arms, naked Enzo couldn't be happier with unconscious Bonnie in his arms, and there staring at him is Elena, awake, looking at him with the love in her eyes that he had been wanting for so long. A thought .. SO this is peace.

"Damon" in a hushed voice caught his attention, he blinked. He was already looking at her. Elena had said his name. He bent down and kissed her lips, softly, she kissed him back, more eagerly than he was prepared for. He pulled her tightly to his body, their kiss deepen. She opened her mouth to him, he swept his tongue into her mouth finding and mated with hers, fueling a passion that had been sleeping with her. His breathes deepened each time his mouth took hers, his arms pulled her body closer to his, his hands pulled her shoulders and face flush with his. Damon could only feel Elena, breath Elena, taste Elena, all his fears for the past 4 years was being extinguished by this kiss, right here, right now. The sound of Caroline and Stefan caught Elena's attention, Damon looked at her face to see it flushed pink from the blush of being caught in their passionate kiss. Damon looked at his brother, Stefan was beaming with pride, he spoke with a bit of sarcasm "So, Brother, are you two going to put on a show right here in the Man Cave?" Damon turned away from his brother and looked back at Elena, lifted her chin, "Maybe" and kissed her again.

Elena pulled back, her big brown eyes looked up at Damon, god, how he missed drowning in them, especially, when they were filled with passion, like right now. Damon looked up and realized it was time to get everyone back to house. Bonnie needed to recover. Enzo needed clothes. Stefan and Caroline needed privacy. He needed to get Elena alone. The right thing to do, the new destiny Damon would get his coven safe, "We should start heading back to the house. Stef, how do you feel?" Stefan responded with a display of his magic, the fire pits ignited and the waterfall burst. Damon smirked "I'll take that as a pretty darn good. Let's get everyone home, we have some recuperating to do. Enzo, can you get Bonnie to my car, do you need help?" Enzo nodded, "I've got it, Mate. Just feeling quite drafty" Stefan "when we get back to the house, I've got some stuff you can wear."

Damon gently lifted Elena off the altar, "I can walk" she said. Damon responded "I'm not letting you out of my arms for quite a while, so just get use to it". He carried her to the car, settled her in after Enzo had sat in the backseat. He went around the driver's side, and climbed in. He looked over at Elena sitting there in the car next to him. He couldn't stop himself, he leaned over and kissed her again.

Enzo "My bare arse is on your backseat, Mate, do you mind if you do that at the house?"

Damon took Elena's hand up to his lips and kissed it as he stepped on the gas, one way or another he was going to be kissing his woman, he smiled with a hint of mischievousness.


	9. Chapter 9 - Our Family Home

Chapter 9 – Our Family Home

Damon drives to the front door. He points to Elena "You don't move". He pushes up his seat, Enzo helps move Bonnie toward Damon. Damon gets a grip of his best friend and gently pulls her from the back seat of the car. Enzo follows her out and takes Bonnie from Damon's arms, as they head towards the Board House entrance, Enzo asks "Where are we staying?" Damon notices the Enzo's coupled request, his reply includes a smile "East wing, second bedroom on the left." Enzo manages the door with Bonnie in his arms, leaving a laughing Damon with a bare-assed Enzo cradling his bestie.

Damon walks around to the passenger door, opens and lifts Elena out of the car. Elena smirks with frustration, "This is ridiculous, I can walk, my legs do work. Just because, I've been in a coma for a long time, doesn't mean I can't use them. By the way, for how long?" Damon struggles but looks into her eyes with longing, "Give or take 4 years, 158 days, 13 hours, and 23 minutes. Not that I was counting." Elena looked at Damon with sadness "I told you to live your life and not just sit around and wait for me" Damon tone hardens "We aren't going to talk about that now." Damon voice softens as he carries her through the front entrance, "I have to practice this, and practice makes perfect for when I do this officially." Elena laughed.

Once in the doorway, Elena's eyes widened, Damon started to pick up the pace. Elena put her hand on his cheek, "Can we just pause for a minute? I just want to take it in, just for a minute." He looks at her face, her eyes as they scan the room, he turns in a complete 360, allowing her to take in the entire Great Hall. Elena smiles "I'm not going to ask what happened to the 3 chairs that have been replaced or the rugs, or my favorite reading lamp. Damon, I'm home, right? This is forever?" Damon was so overwhelmed by the look in her eyes, he didn't know what to say first, "We are Home" came out his mouth instinctually. Elena put her arms around his neck and nestled in as he started walking up the stairs.

Damon opened his bedroom and paused. They both looked inside before he entered. A flood of memories went through each of their minds, Elena had thoughts of the pledges of love, Damon's thoughts were not so positive. His included moments he regretted, times he should have accepted her love, not questioned it, parked his insecurities, the damned doppelganger shit, other times that she wasn't with him. Elena looked in Damon's eyes, she knew he was going into a dark place, she flicked his nose with her finger. Damon's head snapped back, he stared at her with his deadly vampire stare, she laughed. Elena jesting "I haven't seen that look in a very long time. I'm very happy to see you still have it. Although, it has more threat when your fangs are showing." As she puts her fingers on his lips. Damon smiles and walks into the bedroom. He lays Elena on the bed and sits next to her, "I have missed you. There is so much I need to tell you, I have done many things that you aren't going to be happy with. Being the Damon that I wanted to be with you, was too hard to be without you. For a while, I couldn't, I stopped trying. I found my way back, with a lot of help, Bon, Stef, Caroline, Ric and above all my love for you." Damon paused and took a big breath. "There were some changes while you were gone too. The Grand Daddy of them all is, I'm human" Damon paused. Elena's eyes got bright and big "I know you had decided, but are you really ok with it?" she responded.

Damon nodded his head "It has been a transition, but Yes, I'm really ok with being human. It came with a perk or two. It turns out that as direct descendants of Silas, Stefan and I are witches/ warlocks, whatever. We are still very new at it. Our witchy ghost granddaddy Demetrius is walking us through it. A much longer story. We have so much to talk about. Right now, I just want to hold you. Can I just lay here and feel my arms around you?"

Elena moves closer to him, "I want that and more, Damon, I need to move around, I want to jump up & down, I want to dance with you, I want to feel your body with mine, I want to make love with you, not just laying here. I have been lying down for years. Let's be together everywhere." She rolled all over the bed in glee, and then stopped when her stomach growled loud enough that she had to laugh.

Damon laughed, "Oppss.. Food, we need to feed you. I agree, you can stand, if I'm by your side, holding on to you. Deal?" Elena nodded and rolls her eyes "Here we go again" she says under her breath. Damon took her face in his hands, kissed her nose, "I may not have vamp hearing, but I still heard that. Yes, I'm overprotective, vampire, witch, or human, and before you know it, a husband too." Damon stood up and put his hand out, Elena took it and stood up. Her legs were a little more wobbly than she expected, she put more of her weight on Damon. He didn't say a word, just put his arm around her and slowly lead her downstairs to the kitchen.

To their surprise, the gathering had started without them, Jeremy, Ric and Caroline were already there. Jeremy briskly walked over to Elena. She stopped, she looked him up and down, he was a grown man, how he changed, he looked like he was the older brother now. She put her arms around him, Jeremy "I missed you so much, I can't tell you how much it means to me that you are here right now. I didn't think I'd ever see you again." Jeremy looked up at Damon, "Thank you for bringing her back to us."

Ric was next, in his arms, he whispered "You have to see my girls, they are so beautiful, just like Jo. Caroline is the best Mom they could want, we are so lucky. I'm so happy you are back. Life wasn't the same without you. That guy was a real dick." He looks at Damon and laughs.

Stefan walks in "Here's the party" He walks over to Elena, leans down and kisses her on the forehead "How are you feeling?" Elena puts her arms around his waist and hugs "If I said weird with a mixture of amazing, would that make sense?" Stefan hugs back and laughs "Given that you've been in a magical coma for 4 years, I'd say that seems better than expected"

Upstairs in the East Wing, the second bedroom to the left, Enzo stares at the love of his life, he could feel her warmth on his skin. He smoothed her hair away from the side of her cheek, tucking behind her ear. A gentle knock on the door, followed by a whisper that any vampire could hear "I brought some of Stefan's clothes." It was Blondie, Caroline was always on top of any situation. Enzo looked down at Bonnie, he slowly pulled his arms from under her body and stood up from the bed. He opened the door, "Thanks Blondie" as he reached for the clothes. Caroline kept her eyes on his, "They should be comfortable for now. Once Bonnie is feeling better, we will take you shopping for an entirely new closet." She started to turn, then paused, returned, leaned up and kissed his cheek, "We missed you. I'm so glad your back." She turned and whooshed away.

Bonnie stirred, "Enzo... Enzo" Enzo quickly returned to Bonnie's side, putting the clothes on the side of the bed, "I'm right here, Love." Bonnie tries to sit up, "Where are we?" Enzo takes her into his arms, holds her gently, "We are at the Salvatore Mansion. We are safe. You are weak. As usual, you put yourself completely, out on the line with no regard for yourself. You brought me back. What am I going to do with you?" Bonnie looking up at him with her big brown eyes, "Love me forever." Enzo kisses her lips with all the longing he has.

After a moment or two, it is clear that Bonnie isn't ready for a passionate encounter. Enzo gently pulls her into his body and covers them with an extra blanket, "Now, Love, it is time for us to rest. We have a lifetime to continue this. You need to have your strength re-charge. I need to feel you in my arms, your warmth, your skin, your breath. I have longed for this. So you sleep, so that I may have my desires fulfilled." Bonnie closes her eyes as her head sinks into his chest, "I'm only agreeing because you feel so comfortable and I dream about falling asleep in your arms every night." Her breath slows and evens out, Enzo knows she is sleeping, he presses his lips to her forehead and closes his eyes, his last conscious thought, 'this is heaven'.

Damon starts pulling containers and bowls out of the refrigerator, he pulls a plate from the cabinet. Completely in his own world, he doesn't notice everyone staring at him. Stefan is the first one to say something "hmm, Brother, are you actually cooking something other than pancakes?" Damon looks up and sees all the faces staring at him. He smiles, "Why, yes, Brother, I've become multi-talented since becoming human, you aren't the only chef in the family. And actually this is something special I'm whipping up for Elena, but you can have some too." Damon goes to the faucet and fills a water pitcher "I could use a little of your special kind of help to give this some special nourishment for everyone." Stefan walks over and takes the pitcher, the water inside begins to swirl and bubble. The water stops swirling and the carbonation stays, Stefan takes it to the table and pours it into Elena's glass, "You really should drink this, it is good for you"

Enzo walks into the kitchen with Bonnie under his arm, "She heard noises, and wouldn't stay in bed, she is very weak still." Bonnie and Elena's eyes meet, Elena gets up too fast and starts to fall, Stefan is closer, catches her before she falls, Damon stops in his tracks, "Thanks, Stef." He turns to Elena and says "Elena, I told you!" in a scolding tone. Elena ignores and walks to Bonnie holding onto Stefan. She gets to Bonnie and Enzo takes over holding on the both of the women, since neither is going to let go of each other anytime soon. Caroline joins the group hug and tears flow, the three friends hug, laugh, and cry at the same time. Their men look at them and then look at each other, shrug their shoulders and smile.

Caroline takes Elena and Bonnie, each under an arm, leading them back to the table. They all sit down and start talking at the same time. The three men standing in front of the kitchen island stare. Enzo starts "Do you get the feeling this is what it feels like being runner up in a beauty pageant?" Stefan and Damon smile. Damon "I need to feed my beauty Queen, so runner ups, let's get all the Queens fed so we can take them to bed." he said with a devilish grin. Both Stefan and Enzo nodded. Damon barked a few orders, he reminded Enzo that he needed to feed too, and there was some A+ in the blood cooler downstairs, Stefan asked him to bring a blood bag for Caroline while he was down there.

Dinner is served. Damon and Stefan start putting all the food items on the table. Everyone is quite surprised by how good everything looks. Stefan took one of the blood bags and poured into a glass for Caroline, and put it in front of her, kissed her forehead as he set it down, she looked up and smiled. Enzo sat down next to Bonnie, taking the pitcher of magically energized water, pouring some in her glass "This is good for you too, drink up" Damon announces "I have to warn everyone, these veggies were grown with a little help, I want to make sure the Gemini magic doesn't have the ability to take hold in Elena again. There is a lot of protection and strengthening ingredients that would make a potion in these foods. I promise nothing that will upset your magic Bonnie, and nothing will poison Enzo & Caroline. Everything is natural and safe, it will provide extra protection from evil for all of us. So everyone, Enjoy!" All begin to eat and enjoy..

An hour later, the serving dishes left with crumbs, the conversation at the table has livened up, and laughter is heard every few minutes. Ric throws his napkin down "Damn Damon, where the hell did you learn to cook like that? When you crashed with me, you never stepped foot in the kitchen." Bonnie laughs "Poor Ric, I got all his culinary talents in 1994. Although, I had to suffer through daily penance pancakes, the rest of the meals were quite good." Damon rolls his eyes, then looks at Elena's plate, "Elena, you need to eat, you haven't eaten very much." Elena looks up and shakes her head, "Damon, you put a mountain of food on my plate, I can't eat that much period, I never could, and not even as a vampire." Damon frowns.

Bonnie "I am so full, Damon, I have to admit. That was amazing. You are a really good cook." Enzo leans back and puts an arm around Bonnie, "Coming back from the dead really agrees with me, I don't think I have felt more alive. Damon, you do cook up a mighty fine potion." Caroline agrees "I have to agree and whatever you did to the veggies, I feel amazing" Stefan decides that his brother has had enough flattery for one night "It was ok, the veggies needed a bit more olive oil and you could've used a little more baking time with the Ziti." Stefan took a big breath, "At least, that is a professionally trained opinion." He gives a smirk in Damon's direction.

Stefan puts his arm around Caroline and whispers something in her ear, she smiles, smacks his arm, he yaps "Owww".. Enzo lets out a chuckle. Damon "Don't need vamp hearing to know what you said Bro." Stefan winks at his brother, while his wife leans into his shoulder. A simple family dinner couldn't get better than this. The brothers looked at one another, instantly, they knew what each other was feeling, contentment, happiness, family love. They looked at each other, and then scanned the table with chairs filled with people, not just people, and their family. The brothers had built a family through battles, pain, heartbreak, even murder, yet here each of them were, sitting together as a family, a beloved supernatural family. Damon and Stefan smiled at each other knowing the Brother Bond was getting stronger.


	10. Chapter 10 - Protection the Witchy Way

Chapter 10 - Protection the Witchy Way

Elena yawned, Damon took the clue, "Elena, time to get you upstairs, unfortunately for you, there are a few more magical herbs that you need to soak in before you can rest. Stefan, you'll need to treat the water again, before you start your naughty ideas with the care bear." Without argument, Elena nodded "I can't believe, I've been sleeping for almost 5 years, and not even awake for 12 hours, and I want to sleep again. There has to be a joke in there somewhere." Elena looks at her friends and family "I'm so happy to be back with everyone, and so happy that everyone is back. We are going to be happy now." She looks directly at Bonnie and Enzo. "Caroline, it looks like Bonnie and Enzo need a little bit of pampering. Enzo needs to feed more. Bonnie need more rest." Caroline responds "You let Damon take care of you, Stefan and I will make sure the rest of the troops are taking R & R. We will see you in the morning."

Damon gets up from next to Elena, extends his hand, she puts her hand in his. She lets him cradle her under his arm, the warmth of his body is new to her, as a vampire he wasn't warm or cold, she always felt cherished, loved and safe, this new warmth was just an amazing perk of their new human life that she would get to enjoy. They reached the stairs, he scooped her up in his arms, "I'm not ready for you to strain yourself on stairs yet." Damon's tone was filled with concern. Elena snuggled her head into his neck and smiled, knowing he couldn't see the rolling of her eyes that said 'some things will never change, overprotective as always, vampire or witch.'

He carried her through the doorway of their bedroom. He set her down gently onto the floor. Damon reminds "Stefan will be up in a minute to treat the bath water, you will need to soak for at least 15 minutes, do you feel strong enough to be in there by yourself?" Elena looked confused "Is there another way?" Then she remembers he said that he had performed the ritual on her body this morning, "How did it happen this morning?" Damon's tone stressed "I bathed with you, talk about torture. Having your naked body, with none of your spirit, your passion, nothing that makes you, well, you coming from the body that was lying on top of me…. Torture!" Elena heard the frustration in his voice, it was alluring, and she felt like having a bit of fun, "I think maybe we shouldn't change the ritual at all, so far it isn't broken, so let's not tempt fate by trying something different." Damon frowned, he knew exactly what she was saying.. more torture. Damon knew she wasn't strong enough to do any of the things he his body would crave during the ritual, it was torturous with a cold, motionless Elena shell body, he was going to go mad now that she was warm, moving, talking, glowing.. oh god, what if she moans.. Damon had to stop thinking. He went back to

She looks at herself in the mirror "I don't remember this dress, it is so beautiful." Damon "No, you wouldn't. I bought it for you, after you were put to sleep. Ric, Bonnie and I went to Europe for a few months for a distraction. I walked by a shop, I saw, I bought it. I wasn't ready to accept how long you were going to be out of my life. I kept thinking of it as a short vacation, like you were visiting family a long weekend away. It was the only way I could process breathing. Once reality started setting in and my life started heading south. Somehow this dress was protected, it survived all the hell that we went through."

Elena turned and hugged him "I want to hear about it all, all the struggles, the bad, I want hear everything, Damon. I will not judge, I love you unconditionally. Nothing you did was based on what you could choose. I know that. You can't carry it around by yourself, you have to share it with me, we are partners, we are together forever, this life and any others that come after." Damon puts his arms around he and squeezes like his life depends on it, when Stefan walks into the room "Looks like I'm interrupting" Damon looks up "Brother, nothing that you haven't reminded me of for the past 4 years over and over again. She is the best thing that has ever happen to me" Stefan shakes his head yes and winks at Elena. Stefan "I'm locked and loaded, Bath tub here I come" Damon laughs "I think Stef is liking this witch power" Stefan sends a ball of water directly at his brother hitting him directly in the small of his back. Elena laughs "I would say so. I do like this better then you guys staking each other" The brothers look at each other and laugh.

Damon walks in to the closet, all of a sudden Elena feels dizzy, she puts her hands to her head. Stefan catches that motion from the corner of his eye, races over to catch her just before she reaches the ground in a faint. "Elena.. Elena" as he lifts her into his arms, her head draped over his arm lifeless. He lays her on the bed, she opens her eyes "Don't tell Damon, he is worried enough, I'm just over doing it. I've been so tired for hours now. Please Stefan. Help me to the bathroom. Please, I know the ritual will help." Stefan does what she asks. As they reach the bath tub, Damon is coming out of the closet with a robe in his hand "I knew I had one of these things in there, I just didn't know if it was still there, after the Heretic Invasion" Damon looked up to see Stefan's arm around Elena's waist, he knew something wasn't right. "What's wrong with Elena?" Stefan responded "I got the floor a little wet, I knew you'd be complaining little a New Jersey Housewife from Hell, if Elena slipped. Since she woke up you have been Mr Over Protective Pants." Stefan looked down at Elena and winked with the eye that Damon couldn't see. Damon took a deep breath, walked over and took Elena from Stefan's arm "Thanks Brother, now go put your wife in your arm, I got mine." Elena looked at Damon "Excuse me… MINE..wife" Damon "Soon" said in a tone of promise. Stefan headed out of the room with a smile on his face, knowing that his brother was finally at peace with love in his complete heart.

Damon looked at Elena "Are you really ok?" Elena "I am tired. I could use a little help getting into the tub, you are going to join me, we did agree, we shouldn't change the ritual." Damon "Yes, the ritual must go on" Damon had already taken his shoes and shirt off in the closet, he slide his arms around Elena's back to glide the zipper of her dress down. He eased the straps from her shoulders, the faint hand prints he and Stefan had put over her heart earlier in the day were still visible, his eyes didn't linger on them long as the dress fell to the floor. His heart was racing, his breath deepen, he was so aware of his body's response it scared him. As a vampire, he would not have been able to contain himself much longer, as a witch, would he have more self control, he had to Elena wasn't ready, she wasn't strong enough. It had to be right. He felt her hand on the button of his pant's waistband, and almost came unglued. He looked up into her eyes, "No, Elena, we can't, you are not strong enough, please I can't do this to you, I don't have the strength to say No again. Please". She unzipped, "I don't want your hands to leave my body, I don't want to fall. So someone has to help get your clothes off. Damon it is practical" She looked up at him with very guilty eyes and a mischievous grin, he rolled his eyes and knew he was in hell. His pants fell to the ground, he pulled his feet out, there they stood in underwear, the situation was getting trickier and trickier by the moment. She could see he was not uninterested, there was nothing he could do or say that would convince her that she wasn't getting to him. He had to get her into the tub, period. He reached down and took her underwear off, and slide his off in quick fashion. He lifted her into the tub, climbed in and sat behind her, resting her back on his stomach. Damon "don't say a word, don't move an inch, just sit and breath, I have to concentrate on the ritual and chant for the spell to everything to work." This was so different from this morning, her body wasn't lifeless, she was alive, she had warmth, she radiated passion and heat for him, he could feel her heart beating on his chest, her lungs filling with every breath she took. He could only think – Get a grip Damon. He closed his eyes and started the chant, he tried to focus on the air that started to swirl around them, Elena shifted, the wind died down. Damon opened his eyes "I told you don't move, I can't do this if your moving." Elena "I'm sorry, I feel your body against mine. When I touch you, I feel strong, I feel better. Damon, I need you. Please can we do this a little later, after, I just want us to be together." Damon "I know, Baby, I feel it too. You have to get stronger, you have to be stronger. This is going to make you better. We have waiting so long, a little longer for everything to be right, for everything to be perfect. We can do this for each other." Elena nodded her head, she held totally still, and slowed her breathing. The words calmed Damon as well, the ritual began again, this time they felt the magic together, flowing from him into her as one. The water began to darken, and then various herb absorbed all the dark parts, Elena watched in all happen, she saw dark color come out of her feet and legs, Damon's skin produced orange colors that wrapped around the leaves and blossoms in the water, that swirled around all the darkness that came from Elena. The wind kept swirling above her, she didn't move her body, only her eyes, she was used to magic, hadn't Bonnie's spells moved things around her often. This was Damon, Damon was do this, he was really a witch now, a human witch. She started thinking about what their lives might be. She was becoming aware of how better she felt, stronger, her dizziness was almost completely gone, all the feelings that made her faint just moments ago were gone. She closed her eyes and concentrated on Damon's voice, his breath, his heart beats and she felt his energy. The hairs on her arms started standing up, she started getting goose bumps on her skins, she could feels the bubbles in the water coming up between her legs, then she felt Damon's arms wrap around her chest. She opened her eyes, the winds were not swirling any longer, the water was not bubbling and it was clear, all the blossoms had lost the vibrant colors, they were dark and wilted. Damon looked down at her "Hey there, you did good, we really did a good job, I think we got most of it out of you, look at the potion, it pulled so much of the spell out. I felt my magic flowing through you, cleansing you. I could feel it, I'm so proud you. Thank you, I know it is so hard, it is so worth it" Elena "Should we do it again?" Damon "Not tonight, we will do it again tomorrow. Now we have to get you oiled up." Elena "Oiled up?" Damon "Yes, another form of this morning's torture" Elena couldn't believe how different she felt from just 10 minutes ago, the ritual had done something to her for sure. Damon continued "There is a bowl of botanical oils on the night stand, it is a mixture of natural oils that I covered over every inch of your body to keep any of the residual dark magic from taking hold again and they promote natural growth and stimulation for your own cells to work with a little magical boost from me. Well, technically, the brother bond or love magic." Damon stopped talking, he leaned up, re-positioned Elena and stood up. He helped her stand, still supporting her securely in his arms, but letting some room between their bodies, he looked in her eyes, "Hold on to me, we need to dry off a bit" a gentle warm breeze swirled around them, their damp skin dried softly, Elena's hair blew in one direction, away from her face, she could see everything that was happening. She thought to herself, this is a fairy tale scene, in the arms of her love, with magical swirling air. Damon got her attention again by lifting her out of the tub, cradled in his arms, he took her to the bed "Now for this next part I'm going to need a distraction, so why don't I tell you the story about the original magics. That way I can do my job without realizing to much what I doing. Now just sit still" Damon took the bowl of oils, submerged his hands, closed his eyes and concentrated on the flowing his energies into the oils. He reached for Elena's foot and started the story "Originally there were two magics nature's magic and blood magic, neither magic was used from dark or evil, it was used for survival to help human live, survive, heal, procreate, the earth was a harsh place and the humans learned how to harness the energies or magics." Damon paused a minute and took a deep breath, his hands were sliding up Elena's perfectly shaped thigh. He shook his head, and continued "I wish you could hear Demetrius tell the story, he does it such justice. Stef and I come from Nature's line of magic, the power source is a combination of the elements and well, the easy version love, our brother bond is what channels the power strongest." Damon switches to Elena's other leg, lingering a little longer on her calf then needed, simply because he knows the area that is next, he thinks to himself, this is pure torture, I really am in hell on earth. Then he smiles. He looks up at Elena and immediately regrets doing it. He didn't have to wonder if she felt the passion that he was, he didn't have to worry about whether his thoughts and desires were inappropriate or unwanted at the moment. Her eyes were glossy, she was biting her lower lips, her heart beat was pulsing throughout all the veins of her neck, her breaths were shallow and quicken, and small beads of perspiration were forming at the base of her neck.

How was he supposed to do this, he wasn't even to the really good areas yet. He stood up, and turned around, he walked to the window and took a deep breath. He changed the wind from warm and gentle to cold and brisk, forming it around his body until he felt the pangs of the cold on this skin. Damon's whole body shivered, he heard Elena laugh, he turned around, he saw her laying on the bed, propped up on her elbow, looking like a Roman goddess, seductive, and all his. He no longer felt the cold. "You are not helping Ms. Gilbert at all." He said with his arm leaning on the window frame, Elena saw the moon shadows dance over his naked body, "Well Mr. Salvatore, I would say that you are fueling the fire quite nicely just standing there." Damon chuckled as he walked to her "Let's finish this damned ritual before I combust." He oiled his hand, shut his eyes tightly and tired to think of the technical task at hand, taking every ounce of sexuality out of it that he could. As his hand reached her hips, he heard her breath exhale sharply, his hands continued upward over her waist and across her stomach, he couldn't help himself, he lingered at her bellybutton, fingering it just a little, she knew it, she inhale popping his hand up. His concentration was wavering, he reminded himself, FOCUS.. DAMON.. FOCUS.. He could still clearly feel his energy, his magic flowing through his hands into the oils and on to her skin, he knew the ritual was still working, he couldn't take any chances.

He reached for the bowl again, with his eyes open "Ok, you better turn over, I let me get the other side, it might safer for a while." Elena did as he asked. She moved her hair out of the way, he had a completely unobstructed view of her neck, shoulders, perfectly shaped spine, hips and .. well, maybe this wasn't as safe as I thought. Damon put his hands on her neck and shut his eyes, he started to concentrate, moving his hands down her shoulder blades, he could felt her muscle give to his touch, he shifted his position on the bed.

He straddled her legs, she could feel his masculine heat on the back of her thighs, she tried not to move, her instinct was to open her legs and let that heat find home inside her. She tried to stop herself. Damon clinched his legs when he felt Elena's legs pushing against his. His only thought was GOD NO. Trying to keep his concentration on the task at hand, he soaked his hands again in the oils. Spanning his fingers down her back, then back up her spine, he dipped his hands in the bowl again, taking a bit more oil directly on her spine, massaging the oils in with his palms, making sure he could feel the magic being absorbed. Down his hand went, finally over her buttocks, he tried not to linger, get the job done Damon, he told himself, re-positioning, so that he could continue to the back of her thighs. When he moved, Elena was not in the mood to continue be the only one tortured, just as his hands started down her thighs, she spread her legs, just enough, for Damon to feel the heat that he had created in her. He was holding on by a thread, he got off the bed, Elena turned over. Damon looked at her, the ritual wasn't over yet, he was almost done, he was going to head to the coldest shower ever know to mankind. Elena raised her arm to her lips, "I'm completely unglued, I know that you are too. We can do this. I'm strong enough. You aren't going to hurt me. Damon, I need you. I need us to make love. It has been so long. You can't touch me like you have been, I feel all your essence, your energy, your magic, your love flowing in my body with every touch. When your skin touches mine, I feel every part of you. It's like your soul joins with mine. I want, no Damon I need us to physically be one too." Damon "Elena, I want you so much that I'm in physical pain. You aren't strong yet. We don't know what would happen. Please, I can't lose you. I will not do anything to put your life in danger in any way. I can't." Damon more focused than ever to continuing the ritual, made his mind up no more distractions. He shut his eyes and started chanting out loud as his hand roamed Elena's torso. Just as Damon was about to finish, he felt, a warm gentle grasp on his manhood. He opened his eyes to see Elena's sweet oiled hand wrapped around the part of his body that felt the pain of wanting her physically the most. Elena "You said that every inch of my body needed to have this oil massaged on it. Well, this is only best way for some areas to be reached".

Damon knew he'd lost. He couldn't, no he wouldn't fight anymore. He wanted this just as much as she did. He needed her as much as she needed him. He smiled "All right Ground Rules, any pain, you tell me immediately. Any funny feeling, anything you haven't felt like we have before you tell me. We stop, we talk, we figure it out. I mean it Elena. WE have NO idea what we are doing. I haven't talked to Demetrius about this at all. I don't know how to make love to you as a witch, I don't know if I can hurt you." Elena "Bonnie, never hurt Jeremy. I doubt, you can hurt me, just because you're a witch. Please stop worrying and kiss me. I'm hurting now because you aren't kissing me." Damon finally got the clue. He laid down next to her on the bed, gently brought her into his arms and passionately began do all the things that he wouldn't let his body do while the ritual was going on. His lips took total possession of hers, his hands cupped her buttocks, lifting her until she was laying on top of him. He stopped and looked in her eyes "This is forever" She remembered, she knew, she dropped her mouth on to his, taking his mouth in a kiss that was not gentle, that was demanding and powerful. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulled her body tightly to his, he rolled over so that he was covering her, bracing his weight on his forearms. After a few minutes, he slipped from her grasp, and lowered his assault to her breasts, oh how he wanted to touch them, make love to them during the ritual, he had been hard from just the thoughts, now he was touching and tasting, he didn't stop until he feasted on every inch. He kept her pinned to the bed, exactly where she laid, as he moved lower, he remembered how she tasted when he was a vampire, how powerful he became when he would taste her blood. He spread her legs wider, reaching the very place that beckoned him. He tasted, she came unglued, her hands went to his head, her fingers intertwined with his hair, her legs wrapped around his shoulders, her back arched. Her movements became more forceful as he feasted, Elena "Damon" she said his name with a sense of panic. He looked up, "Are you ok? What do you feel?" Elena "Don't stop I'm coming to you? " Damon smiles, he leans up and kisses her on the lips and positions over her, enters her swiftly. The ecstasy he feels is overwhelming. He looks directly into Elena's eyes and makes love to her. Their paces isn't rushed, it is no longer a frenzy, it is eager to love each completely. They embrace each other, coming together in a way that they had never before, lost in each other's love, in each other's soul, something that was so much more than passion. The minutes got lost into an eternity.

The sunrise was upon them, the hours seemed like a blink of an eye and forever at the same time. Damon "We need to sleep, humans need sleep." Elena "What just happened with us, was that us, or was that a spell, or magic?" Damon "It was us, all I know is it was pure and from the love that we feel for each other. Did you feel me like I felt you?" Elena buried her head into his neck and wrapped her arms around him, trying to slide into his skin, he felt her head nod yes. They shut their eyes with their bodies embraced as one, Damon last fledging thought was "How am I suppose to protect her without all the strengths of being a vampire?"

"GOOD MORNING, my brother" Stefan said startling Damon awake. Damon instinctual covered Elena with the sheet and his arm, "Stef, Elena's not decent. What are you doing in MY bedroom?" Stefan "Shoe is finally on the other foot, not so great is it my brother." Caroline walks in the room, "Good Morning, Damon, did you sleep well?" Damon "NO!.. NO!.. NO!.. GET OUT!.. Both of you OUT now.. This is not happening" Damon bellows. Elena, she can't help but smile, Stefan sees this out of the corner of his eye and knows she is giving them the go ahead. "Well, brother after all the times that you have barged in on my morning time with both of these amazing women, I figure, you are owed, especially after the conversation I just had with Demetrius." Stefan walked over to the window, grabbed the curtains and tossed them open. He then opened the window, the outside of the window was covered with vines and stocks, not one ray of sun could shine through. "Damon, you and your protection spells" Stefan opens his arms toward the window. Damon face is completely surprised, "I did that? How? I didn't! Trust me, I was otherwise occupied last night." Elena was glad she was covered, so no one could see her blush, thoughts of last night were still fresh, she moved her legs just a bit, so Damon could feel her response to his statement. He smiled.

Stefan "Well, my brother, you did. This is your element, Mother Earth, the protector. Damon, since you have become a witch you have a tendency of doing protection spells instinctually. If we think back long enough, when you were human, you were the protector, me and Lily from Giuseppe, Katherine and Pearl from the whole town, you protected the servants from Giuseppe too. As a vampire, you stopped at nothing protecting Elena and me, even though you threatened countless times to kill me. You almost died how many more times trying to protect me, save me. There wasn't anything you wouldn't do to protect the ones that you cared for, when you really start to think about it, we shouldn't be surprised that Mother Earth & unstoppable winds are yours." Stefan turned to look at his brother, Damon didn't look so good, his skin color was gray and his eyes were bloodshot. Stefan "Are you ok?" Damon "Blame Elena, she really took it out of me last night, quite the demanding minx" Stefan not buying Damon's casual glib brush off, "I'm serious Damon, you don't look good" Elena's attention is now perked, she sits up, and looks at Damon, "He's right Damon, you don't look good at all."

Caroline realized there was way too much going on with way too little clothing. She went into Damon's dresser drawer, and took out 2 t-shirts. She handed one to Elena "Thank you" as she put it on. The other went to Damon, who didn't move. Stefan went to his brother and took his arm. Stefan immediately felt the pull of energy, he knew what was going on. "Damon, you have drained all your magic. I can feel you drawing from me, right now." Damon closed his eyes, "Stef, I just need a minute." Damon's arm dropped to the bed.

Stefan "Care, will you bring me those candles, oh my, brother, you are so dramatic. When will you learn." Caroline brought 3 candles from the top of the dresser over to the night stand. Stefan sat on the side of the bed, next to Damon. Stefan looked at Elena, "Damon really is fine, he did some very powerful magic by himself sometime in the middle of the night, and didn't have access to any batteries. I'm going to charge him up. He will be fine in just a few." Stefan waved his hand over the candles and they lit, he flattened his palm, and drew the flame from the candle to his palm. Soon a ball of fire was rolling around in the palm of his hand. Both Elena and Caroline gasped, Stefan calmed them, "It isn't burning me at all, I'm the one that is calling it. The fire is my battery. Caroline, why don't, you and Elena go downstairs while I get Damon fixed up and get some coffee. You can see what Bonnie and Enzo are up to, Damon and I will be down in a minute." Stefan took Damon's arm with his other hand wrapping his fingers completely around the forearm, closed his ears and started to hum.

Elena got out of bed, Caroline handed her the pants that Bonnie had sent for Elena, she put them on. They stopped and watched the brothers for a moment. They watched the ball of flame in Stefan's hand bounce around, grow larger and smaller over and over. Elena started breathing easier when she noticed the skin on Damon's arm returning to it's normal color. Stefan was right, Damon needed re-charged, would she ever get used to this new normal.

Stefan could feel the energy flowing through him from the fire into Damon. Damon opened his eyes "What happened, where's Elena? " Stefan "Easy Brother, everything is ok, everyone is safe. Elena is downstairs with Caroline and Bonnie. You are re-charging as we speak. I might say a little slower than I expected. I wonder" Stefan said with a hint of confusion in his voice, he took his hand from Damon and sent a fire ball to the open window. The fire ball disbursed without causing any damage and Damon dropped back to the bed. "YEP" Stefan replied as he grabbed Damon's arm again. He was going to need a bit more to get through to Damon. He let the flame die. He stood up and lifted Damon's back, slide behind him, to let Damon lean onto his chest "The things that you do for brother" Stefan said out loud laughing. Stefan laid both of his arms down so that his elbows laid on Damon's shoulders and his forearm were down on his chest. He settled Damon's head between his arms, and took a deep breath, "Ok, brother, let's get you charged and this force field down" Stefan flattened his palms and drew the fire to both palms at the same time, let Damon pull from him. Damon opened his eyes a few minutes later, he looked up and realized where he was, "Stef, what is going on?" Stefan responded "You, my brother have decided to work a protection spell on the entire house, by yourself, and you will not stop fueling it. It is draining all your energy. Right now, you are charging from me, and I'm channeling my fire. Can you stop the protection spell?"

Damon replies "Stef, I have no idea how I'm doing or when I did it. At least, when I sent you to Elena's casket, I remember thinking, No, you can't die, you aren't supposed to die, I have to make you safe. You should be with Elena, if you were with Elena you would be safe. I remembered thinking those exact thoughts and looking at you, I felt the ground underneath me, and the fire touched you." Damon paused and took a labored breath, Stefan concentrated harder and pushed more energy into Damon. Damon continued "Last night was the happiest I have ever been in my life. Elena and I had made love like never before. I felt love as a human as I had never before. It was the best moment of my entire existence. I wasn't thinking negative thoughts, I can't say I actually had any thoughts at all. Elena and I went to sleep. You woke us up. That is all that happened."

Stefan thought out loud "Love, nothing you ever felt before human or vampire, subconscious? Damon, do you think that your subconscious cast the spell? Think about it, you're not going to just stop protecting Elena because you are sleeping. I think you cast the spell while you sleeping, that makes sense, you cast the spell to protect your whole world. This house has every person you care about and every person they care about in it." Damon "You really think I could have cast a protection spell around the whole house" Stefan "Your still casting now, that is why your still draining " Damon "Ha Ha, Let's figure this out. If my over active love power did it, maybe the brother bond can find it. I'm drawing energy from you, what if you followed that energy and then blocked it at the source? Or at least put a little bell on it so I could find it ." Stefan, "Not sure it will work that way. We got nothing to lose. Let's try it." Stefan concentrated on his energy flow and Damon relaxed his mind, opened his energy flows to receive Stefan consciousness. He actually could feel Stefan's conscious energy, his magic, it felt different, it was a different color and taste, Damon smirked just a bit, it really didn't taste all the good. Stefan "I can really feel the difference between our magics, do you think that I can follow yours to see where it is going as it fuels the barrier?" Damon "it's worth a try, being that yours tastes funny, I can figure out where you are heading, maybe we can get this thing down together."

Stefan takes a deep breath, he concentrates on his energy, where was it being pulled to. He felt the current flow into Damon, he focused on a specific section and followed it through his hand into Damon's arm, up through his heart and out his chest, straight in to roots of the vines that surrounded the house. Stefan was right, Damon's love casted the spell. Damon opened his eyes, Stefan was already looking at him, "Ok, you're right, I'm a sap" Stefan laughed out loud.

They understood what was causing the barrier now. Damon took a deep breath, he followed the bitter tasting energy path and removed his magic. Stefan could feel the pull of his energy lessen, Damon was breaking the connection on his own. Damon took a breath, "I broke the spell, I'm not feeding it anymore. I'm not sure how to bring it down." Stefan relieved, "I can do that, watch this, it's going to be fun too." He stretched his arm out and flattened his palm, a ball of fire was drawn from the nearest lit candle, he threw the ball of fire like it was a curve ball for strike three in a baseball game at the open window, the flames disbursed all over the vines, disintegrating them allowing the rays of sunlight to flood the room. Damon frowned, Stef was right, that did look like fun. Damon threw the covers off, and walked to the window, he let the sunlight warm his naked body, he felt the energy and his magical battery charge, he smiled, now this tastes good.


	11. Chapter 11 - Getting Rid of Kai for Good

Chapter 11 – Getting Rid of Kai for Good

Damon walks into the kitchen and pauses over the scene in front of him, Elena is pouring coffee and Caroline is doing her best to fill the muffin trays with batter. He walks directly over to Elena, takes her in his arms, bends her over in the best Hollywood style he can come up with, and passionately kisses her. As if on a movie set cue, Stefan walks into the kitchen, and sees what his brother is doing, "Finally, something my brother and I can agree on!" he walks over Caroline and mimics Damon's actions. The ladies can't help giggling as the brothers devour their lips. The romantic moment began, it also passes, the brothers return their women to an upright position.

Damon takes the coffee pot from Elena's hands, kisses her forehead, reaches the creamer, adds the sugar, stirs, puts the mug into her hand, and points to the table with a with a wink, "Breakfast will be ready in moments. After all the protection spells Stef and I have done, I wouldn't want you to poison yourself, my love."

Stefan looks at the bowl of batter, gives it a smell, and turns to Caroline. "I didn't marry you for your cooking skills, always remember that." and crooks his head toward the table, "Coffee or thicker?" Caroline responds, "Coffee for now, thank you." She joins Elena at the table. Caroline and Elena start talking about Elena's lack of clothing as Bonnie and Enzo walk into the kitchen. Bonnie sits down and joins the conversation. Soon the three ladies are completely oblivious to the conversation that is happening on the other side of the kitchen.

Enzo sees Damon and Stef cooking, "I think that joining the working staff is the safest course of action. What can I do?" Stefan grins "Too much estrogen over there for you? You realize, we could take them, our count is a bit higher, 1 vampire, 1 human/doppelganger/witch, and 1 human/witch verse 1 vampire, 1 human/doppelganger, 1 human/witch ok 1 Bennett Witch."

Damon laughs "Seriously Stef, you really think we have a chance. I've always been a wagering man most of my life, even I would not have any part of that one. Those women would eat us alive and there would not be anything left to spit out. Come on Stef, look at what they have survived separately, and put it all together. Call it female power or whatever. Us men… Not a chance."

Stefan lets out a chuckle "Actually if I think about it, I think each one of them has killed us or had us killed a few times."

Damon "See.. We'd be TOAST."

Enzo laughs so hard that all the ladies turn towards them, Bonnie is the one that speaks, "What did we miss?" Stefan answers "We were just talking about how different our lives are with magic." Bonnie looks at Caroline, who is shaking her head. Enzo winks at Bonnie, "We are busted now, so seriously what is it like being a witch or warlock?"

Damon started, "It is overwhelming, I know that as a witch, there was going to be a psychic element, Bonnie has been talking about it for years, we should expect it. Experiencing it is something completely different. Actually one being, Stef, one being, I didn't expect to how I'd feel being able to feel others." Damon stopped, he was being a little to exposed. When he looked up he saw Stefan staring at him. He was sure that Stef could feel everything he was feeling, the damned brother bond.

Stefan takes the focus off of Damon, "Your power must be getting stronger, Demetrius said that as you tap into your elements, you will access more magic. What we did this morning with our magic, combining them as one, using them to work together toward a single spell. What if we performed Elena's cleansing ritual at the temple pond together with both our brother magic and earth magic? Maybe that would be enough to clear out all Kai's remaining Dark magic. I can still feel it in her, can you?" Damon agrees shakes his head yes, "I see the aura around her, it is faint, but still there." Stefan pauses "It would give more power to the ritual at the temple, you would make a stronger connection to your earth element. If we were both submerged, I could use the water to conduct the energies of the magics, from both of my elements. Your feet would on the solid granite of the pools ground and conduct the wind, fueling both your elements. If, Elena were in the middle of us, we should be able to generate enough brother magical current for you to pull all the negative energy out of her." Damon was considering the entire process "Brother that is a lot of magical energy that would be generated between us and flowing through her."

Enzo sounds off, "Salvatore SandWWitch… Sounds a little kinky if you ask me." Dead silence comes over the room. The ladies start laughing. Caroline is the first to ask "Ok, you have our attention! What is going to be 'kinky'?" Stefan grinned, "Nothing, Damon and I are talking about the cleansing ritual and how it isn't as powerful as we were hoping it would be. We think it might have more power if we do it together in the temple pool, with Elena. And Enzo being Enzo, had to put his two quid in." Stefan threw a wet kitchen towel at Enzo.

Elena questioned, "Damon, are you worried?" Damon lowered his eyes, "No, Yes, Maybe so. We just want to make sure that all of Kai's dark magic is out of you. Both Stef and I can see a faint color of it still in your aura. We are still learning about our nature's magic. We know that Gemini magic was originally part of nature's magic before Silas screwed everything up. We just don't want to take any chances. Our brother magic wasn't strong enough to pull it out of you completely, it is strongest at the temple. That is why we would like to try doing the cleansing ritual at the temple today, instead upstairs."

Bonnie "Hey, afterward, the girls can go shopping for Elena… Spend some of that Salvatore credit line" Looking at Damon with a smirk. Damon smiles "That reminds me, I have to call Donavon" Elena looks confused. Damon smiles with a wink, "I'll tell you later."

Caroline "Is this a Salvatore Brothers and Elena ritual only or can a Salvatore wife come along?" Stefan "Why yes, Salvatore wife is a must." Caroline "Perfect, than we can make it a picnic. I'll go find the basket, while you two are finishing breakfast, you can put a few things aside for lunch." Caroline whooshed out of the kitchen.

Breakfast is served. The gang is seated and eating, conversation continues. Elena notices Enzo complexion. Elena "Enzo, are you ok? You are looking a bit on the grayscale side, do you need to feed?" Bonnie immediately turns to Enzo, "She's right, it's happening again, isn't it?" Damon stated, "Again?"

Bonnie "Last night, Enzo started to desiccate in the middle of the night, he fed from me and it helped immediately. We went back to sleep thinking that he is going to need to feed more often." Looking at Enzo "When was the last time you had a bag?" Enzo's voice was full of British charm, "Darling, I was a bit pre-occupied this morning, if you recall" Bonnie blushing.

"Care, can you grab an extra bag on your way back for Enzo too?" Stefan said in a whisper. Caroline walks in to the kitchen with a basket and 3 blood bags. "2 for the picnic and here you go, for Enzo" tossing it to Stefan, who is already standing up, walking to the cabinet for a glass. Taking two glasses from the cabinet, pouring blood into both, handing one to Caroline, kissing her, then walking over to the table, handing the other to Enzo.

Enzo takes a full swallow, turns to Bonnie and immediately puts his hand to his throat. His color starts to turn darker gray, he tries to talk, and can't. Bonnie immediate takes a knife and cuts her arm, puts it to his mouth "drink, Enzo, drink". Enzo begins to drink, his color returns as quickly as it darkened. Within moments, his strength returns, Enzo takes a breath, and stops feeding from Bonnie.

Stefan turns to look at Caroline worried that the blood is tainted, she is fine, having drank most of her glass, her color is perfectly peachy as always, he smiles "Are you ok, do you feel anything?" he says looking at her. Caroline smells the blood in her glass, "No, it tastes fine to me, smells fresh."

Damon looks miles away, he is deep in thought. "Blood magic, nature's magic, 2000 year old magic spell, vampire bones, Bonnie's blood mixed with doppelganger blood." Everyone looks at Damon as he starts to pace the floor, he continues "What if? Caroline, can Enzo feed from you for just a second as an experiment? Please?" Caroline "experiment? Ok?" Caroline offers her arm.

Damon talks directly to Enzo, "There's a chance you are going to desiccate again, quickly. Bonnie, be ready to feed him again." Bonnie gets the knife. Enzo takes Caroline's arm, gently bites and starts to suck, immediately starts to turn gray, he stops. Bonnie replaces Caroline's arm with her's, and the color returns to Enzo. Bonnie doesn't understand, "Damon, what are you thinking?"

Damon face starts to change, "When we brought Enzo back from the dimension that you created for him, we didn't create new magic, we transferred old magic, nature's magic from a spell that was cast 2000 years ago, before the originals were made. The immorality spell was cast with brother bond magic, Enzo's body was formed with Bennett & doppelganger Blood spilled on Enzo's bones. We know that Bennett blood contains magic, as does doppelganger blood. Enzo isn't a vampire as we know it, he is more immoral than vampire. Remember Silas needed blood to survive, he didn't need the 'feed' the 'hunt', he just needed to drink blood. Enzo, you were re-made with Bennett blood, your immorality or element is Bennett Blood, blood is your battery. You have to re-charge with Bennett blood or Doppelganger blood. One more experiment, Bonnie, your arm, please. Enzo, the glass, please."

Damon took the glass of blood and dripped some of Bonnie's blood into it, then mixed the blood together. He handed the glass to Enzo "One more experiment my friend, and then never ever again, for the rest of your life." Enzo lifted the glass to his mouth, and took a swallow. He paused, took a breath, looked at Bonnie "How do I look, any gray?" Bonnie shook her head no, Enzo took another swallow, and gulped the rest of the glass down, he had been thirsty, he didn't want to admit, last night had scared him. He knew what happened when he had went down for a snack, he didn't want to scare Bonnie, he didn't share the events with her. Bonnie started to say "My blood is the only thing that .. " Enzo "shhh, love. This is a conversation for later. Everything is perfect. Damon, so just a drop or two of Bennett blood is the perfect concoction. Nice pick up mate. I don't mind saying, I was quite concerned for a second or two. Now, I would like to drink up a bit, if you don't mind, then take my lady upstairs for a bit of celebrating." Enzo stands up, grabs Bonnie in his arms, "Love, mind taking the glass" Bonnie grabs the glass. Bonnie has laughter in her voice, "Have fun at the picnic, I guess we will see you MUCH later".. Enzo whooshes Bonnie out of the kitchen. Elena and Caroline start laughing.

In Damon's bedroom,

Elena is packing for the ritual. "Is the ritual going to be the same that we do here? I mean, you oil me up and well, we get to.." Elena walks over to Damon, puts her arms around his waist and into his jean pockets, trying to touch him erotically. Damon harshly says, "Don't start with me, you know I can't say No to you. I will throw you on that bed and have my way with you, right now. It has been hours since I've touched you." He says as he tries to twist in her arms. Elena forced to admit he is calling her bluff, "Damon.. Stefan and Caroline are waiting for us. You know Caroline is already packed. No distractions. Now let's get all the supplies we need Mr. Witch, sir." Damon can't help it, he grabs Elena and passionately kisses her on the lips, he deepens the kiss by teasing her mouth open with his tongue. His mouth drops to her neck, his hands caress her breast, teasing the nipple from over the shirt fabric, he can feel it harden from his touch. Damon presses his body onto hers, Elena can feel the desire build, the heat coming off Damon's body is almost too much for her.

She puts her hand on his chest, "Damon, this isn't helping, we don't have time for this right now. Your brother is waiting for us. Caroline can hear us, she is going to come knocking on that door any second. Damon.. Stop that!" Damon's hand drops in between her thighs, he starts rubbing just the right area to drive her crazy.

KNOCK KNOCK ..

Caroline "Time is up.. Let's get on the road" Damon groans "Not now, Caroline. Elena and I are busy." Elena groans, "Coming, Car. We aren't busy. Open the door, and help me finish packing, Damon isn't helping at all."

Elena pushes Damon away from her, Damon rolls his eyes and curses out loud as the door opens. Damon takes one last caress of Elena's body, "Fine, I'll get the rest of the supplies. Go with Caroline and get in the car, less distractions that way."

Elena walks over to Damon, she kisses him on the mouth, hard and quick, then walks out of the room with Caroline. Damon hears the laughter as they walk down the hallway. He can't stop the corners of his lips turning as his heart feels the love from just hearing her laugh, even knowing they are laughing at him.

Downstairs at the Boarding House

Stefan is frustrated, "What's taking so long?" Caroline agrees with his general mood, "What do you think? Your brother is a horn dog." Elena slightly embarrassed, "Care!" Caroline rolling her eyes, "Ok, he was packing, with his hands down your pants." Stefan started laughing "Wife, good thing we already packed." Caroline "Stefan, shhh.. Let's get everything in the car" Damon walks in the entry way "Ok, I have everything. Stef, we should be able to get all the herbs from the temple. I've got all the oils. Do you need anything to channel anything?" Stefan "Nope, everything is there. I packed all the picnic supplies. I think we good to head out, unless you have more "packing" to do, brother?" Stefan said with a snicker. Damon picking up on the sarcasm, "NO, Stefan, all "packing" was put on a cease and desist order from your wife."

Stefan still laughing as he walks around the car and opens the back door for Caroline to slid in. Damon is in the passenger seat with Elena behind. Stefan starts the SUV, "I've been thinking about the ritual, and brother bond will be strongest at the temple for sure. We will certainly be able to create enough power between us. The thought I had was about the source of the love magic. You have been using your love for Elena as the grounding to your love magical source. There are no maybes that the love that you and Elena share is pure and good. The part that has me wondering is Kai's dark magic leftovers that are in Elena. If you are sourcing half or even some of your love magic from Elena, and your also pulling the dark magic out, that would mean at some level, the good and dark magics are mixing? What got me thinking is what we did this morning, how I was able to mix my magic you're your magic together, we made a magical current together to find your spell, in the end I couldn't break it by myself, we had to do it together. I'm wondering if something similar is happening with Elena, your magic alone isn't enough to get all of Kai's dark magic out of her."

Damon "It can't hurt, what did you have in mind?"

Stefan "We know that only you can actually get the dark magic out of Elena, that only love magic will force it out of her body, you've proven that works. What if you and I use our brother magic to find the dark magic first, we create the magical current throughout Elena's body and isolate the dark magic. I can use Caroline to create a love barrier spell around the brother magic. If we channel our love at the same time that you and I were brother bonding, we would have two magical currents flowing along the same pathways. You could use your love for Elena to attack the dark magic in her, our magic currents would let you always feel where it was, to keep the attack going until it is completely gone. We would have endless fuel directly from our elements at the temple, we could keep the fight going until the dark was gone. Damon, she is a doppelganger, she is supernatural, she is strong enough to handle that much magic inside her, her blood is a magical conductor, it will help."

Damon takes a deep breath, he noticed that Caroline and Elena had stopped talking in the backseat. "Did you hear all that? What do you think?" Elena says, "Damon, You have never been one to willingly put me in harm's way, ever. Even when I was a vampire, I gave you no choices, and you still threw a fit. Everything that Stefan is saying makes sense. I'm done being on the edge of this spell all the time, I want to be 100% awake. I know I'm strong enough, I also know that at the first sign, both of you will stop and protect me. Both of you have always, not to mention, my best friend isn't about to let anything happen to me. I vote YES" Caroline agrees "I'm a vampire, I'm a supernatural battery of love. Count me in".

Damon took another deep breath "Ok, I'm saying yes because I happen to trust in my brother.. I'm turning over a new leaf" … Stefan can't believe what he heard, "Oh no, this again!" as he rolls his eyes.

They finally arrive at the temple and start unpacking. Caroline and Elena look around, Elena "This is so beautiful, you made this with magic?" Damon sounds proud, "Yep, all by ourselves, pretty impressive" as he grabs baskets and bags "Geez, Caroline, we aren't moving here." Caroline in her 'I'm totally prepared voice', "You aren't going to complain, when you're hungry and thirsty after the ritual. Stefan, are you going to show me around?" Stefan walks over and picks her up into his arms, carrying her through the temple entry, "Of course, my lovely wife, I will show you everything"

Elena stands gazing up at the trees, Damon wraps his arms around her from behind. Elena trying to be comforting, "It will work, and I will be fine" Damon "I am going to say something you would never expect to hear coming from my lips. I'm not concerned. This witch thing has given me more confidence, maybe it is the psychic connection to the earth. I know that if things start to go south, Stefan and I can stop it, fix it, do what it takes to save you. And if things don't go south, you are going to be rid of Kai's dark magic forever."

Damon pauses "So I have to tell you something that is going to be awkward. Stefan is talking to Caroline about it now too." Elena turns around in his arms, and puts her arms around his neck "ok, I'm ready, am I going have to eat a live chicken?" she says with a smile on her face. Damon "No, but… This is nature's magic, the temple harnesses the power of the 4 elements that Stefan and I will draw from during the ritual. For this to work the best, Stef and I need to be touching, which means you and Caroline should be in front of us." Elena "Ok, what's the awkward part" Damon "Well, everyone needs to be naked. The waters will not charge through clothing, like when we were in the tub, or how I oiled you. You have no idea how hard it was when you were still under the spell to be naked with you asleep, the pure torture of touching your body, and not having you respond, not being able to do anything more with you, torture. The only way it will work is nature's way. Can you do that with Stefan and Caroline?" Elena looked down for a minute, thought and started to laugh. Damon "What is so funny? " Elena giggles, "I guess 173 years old isn't too old for skinny dipping." She says as she took off running, Damon paused, smiles, and starts the chase. He hears Caroline laughing in the distance, knowing she heard what Elena said, knowing she was going to repeat it to Stefan with his years in like.

Damon grins, "How did we get here Stef, look at them, Elena & Caroline, what do you think they are talking about, actually, I really don't want to know. I can't believe my luck. I am here with you, my brother, you don't hate me, I'm human, I don't hate it, I am madly in love with an amazing woman, who loves me, knows my warts and all. You, my brother are here in the exact situation, with just as an amazing woman. This was a turn of fate that no one could have predicted."

Stefan paused with a deep breath, "Last night, I woke up and just watched Caroline sleep. I almost missed it, I gave it up." He put his arm around Damon's shoulders "How can I thank you for saving me!" Damon looked at him "Easy, let's go save my girl" Stefan nods and they walk toward the ladies.

Caroline stretching her arm towards an empty area of the temple, "That would look amazing and so very useful, I agree. Damon should be able to find it, if I remember correctly, there are old mines out here from when he was a boy, and maybe he can remember where they were located. We can ask him later."

Damon slipped his arms around Elena, "Ask me what later?" Elena leaning into him, "Caroline and I were just talking about the temple. Nothing exciting, when are we going to start the ritual?" Damon leaning his chin on her shoulder, knowing the ladies are up to something, "Stefan and I just finished getting everything ready, the pond is prepped, if you, girls want to get undressed and in the water, Stef and I are going to get the fire alters going."

Both the ladies, shake their heads in agreement and start walking toward the pond. Caroline looks over at Elena as Damon takes off in a different direction, "How are you doing with all this, you really haven't talked about what happened when you were sleeping or magical coma. I have a feeling that you weren't exactly unaware of your surroundings. Now your awake, and have to go through all this, you must be pretty ticked off at Kai and Lily."

Elena slows down a bit, "Tyler used to come visit me all the time, he couldn't see in my mind like vampires could, but I could see him, when he touched me, I think it is my doppelganger blood, it's magic kept me connected to Damon, that is another story for later. Tyler kept me in the loop as much as he could. I was so excited to hear about the twins, I kept begging for more descriptions, unfortunately, Tyler being a boy, never gave me anything but healthy, happy siphon witches. I was mad, really mad for quite a while, after about a year, I realized that Damon was channeling a lot of the rage. Somehow he could feel it, with Sybil, he couldn't fight her with all that rage being fed to him. I realized that the only way I could help him is if I stopped being mad. I had to concentrate on our life both the past and the future, it gave him a glimmer of hope, and then you gave him my necklace at Christmas, and that was when I could really feel the change in him. I could connect directly to his conscious again. I could help him fight, keep that glimmer of his humanity alive. Every time he held the necklace, he could feel me, he could feel my love for him, even if he didn't understand what it was."

Elena paused as she walked, "When Sybil's influence was over, and Damon was back to himself, I realized, I could live for him, I understood how he could give up being a vampire for me and not regret it, I could be in this magical coma for the next 60 years I could be strong for him, I could give up the rage for him, loving him, happy for him, and not regret it. It wasn't about forgiving or forgetting Kai or Lily, it was Damon and my future with Damon was more important than they were or are. That took their power away, also the rage and hate when with it. The hardest time was when Damon was desiccating next to me. When he first arrived, I could feel him, he didn't come to me, I know he didn't want to tell me what he was going to do, I heard Bonnie talk to him. I hoped she would get through to him. Then Stefan woke him up, Bonnie moved me to Upstate. Then all hell broke loose, literately, with Cade and Katherine. After that, I was with Damon, that was the first actual peace I felt since Kai's caste the spell, before you guys woke me."

Caroline astonished, "Woww, we had no idea. We should have known Kai would have left a huge part of the story out." Elena "Honestly, I doubt Kai knew. This was new magic, no one ever tried it before, linking a human life to another human life. It wasn't about dying, it was about staying alive." Caroline "Are you going to tell Damon or Stefan?"

Elena "Someday, not today, I am not mad at Kai or Lily anymore, but I also am not going to give either of them anymore of my life, including any anger or hatred from Damon." Caroline agreed "Damon is different now. I understand what you are saying, and I agree with you. I also, don't want you to under estimate Damon. So think about it, you will know if or when the time is right tell him."

They approached the temple pond, dusk was beautiful, and the last of the sun's rays were still dancing on the water's edge. The ladies start taking their clothes off. Caroline reminiscing, "Remember, when we used to sneak away to the watering hole to skinny dip? Tyler and Matt would try and catch us?" Elena joined in, "Yea, we would always swim by the big stump, they never could find us."

As they climb into the water, Stefan arrives "Hey, there. Get ready for a big spark, ok?" Damon is right behind him with his arms full of flower stems "Stef, you ready?" Stefan replies, "Yep". Damon raises his arms, the flower stems begin to float up into the air, a gentle breeze catches them swirling them into a wide circle around the pond, Damon begins a chant, leaves and branches from other trees are pulled in by the wind current. Elena notices that Damon isn't wearing any shoes, his feet are bare, his toes are dug into the dirt. She knows his power is coming from the earth itself, but seeing him using his element magic, well, it is very sexy. Damon stops the chant and lowers his arms, he looks at her, and winks "Ok, brother, you're up!" Stefan stretches his arms, flatten his palms, then slaps them together, both fire pits on each side of the pond erupt in flames with a deafening bang. Both the ladies are startled from the noise, Stefan smiles "I warned you". Caroline actually purrs.

Damon is halfway undressed, when Stefan walks to him, "Here we go, never ever thought I'd be skinny dipping with your ex-lover who happens to be my wife.. HA HA"

Damon "I see your skinny dipping with my ex-lover and raise you a skinny dipping with your ex-soul mate and my future wife .. HA HA HA HA"

Elena interrupts, "Excuse me, I never remembering a question being answered, I never said I'd be your future wife." Damon's eyebrows bowed "OH, yes you did, 'Death do us part, BABY'. On the night you took the cure. It was already decided, no turning back. Question or not, we are getting married, yes there will be a question, and the answer will be yes." He said with a sly smile, she caught and gave it right back.

The brothers were completely naked and dove into the pond, splashing both of the ladies with waves of water. Quite happy with themselves, each came up from the water in front of their specific love.

Damon takes Elena in his arms, "Don't even think about it, you are going to be my wife! The only negotiation point is the date. That will be the next conversation we are going to have." Elena puts her arms around his neck "Really, I think you're going to have to ask a question first, my sir." Damon looks at her with his classic Damon eye thingy "Yepp" making sure to add a dramatic pop to the last P.

Stefan with Caroline in his arms "I have to charge the water, I'm not sure how this will feel for you. Promise me, if it hurts, you will let me know." Caroline shakes her head yes. Stefan closes his eyes and chants, tiny bubbles fill the water everywhere. Caroline's skin starts to tingle, it doesn't hurt, it isn't unpleasant, but it isn't normal either. Stefan opens his eyes and stares at Caroline "Are you ok? How does it feel?" Caroline "It feels weird, it doesn't hurt at all, it is tingles, when I was human, it feels like a sugar/salt body scrub treatment, like it is opening all the pores of my skin." Stefan still concerned "Are you sure it isn't hurting?" Caroline smiles with the grittiest look in her eyes "Stop worrying, it doesn't hurt, I already promised. Remember I'm the vampire supernatural love battery. Get charging" Stefan kisses her passionately just to prove the point.

Damon gets Stefan attention before things get out of hand, specially because he wants to get Elena into his hands "Ok, Stef, we go in first and find the dark stuff, then you & Caroline follow up and hold it in place, I'll go in through Elena force it out, that is the plan. Any sign of problems we stop and regroup. Agreed"

Everyone "Yep" Damon looking sternly at her and using his harshest voice, "Elena, put your arms around my neck, get as close as you can, and try not to move, I have to concentrate, you know what having your body so close to mine does to me, so don't make it harder than it already is. And yes, harder is the right choice of words. Woman, BE GOOD."

Stefan looks straight into his wife's eyes, "Caroline, Everything he said… Only for me" Caroline responds in a low sultry voice "Yes.. Husband" Stefan responds with a very harsh tone of voice "Caroline".

The brothers move closer together so their palms meet, they start to chant, Stefan moves one hand away flattens his palm, a fire ball appears, Caroline takes a breath, gently exhales, trying not to move. Elena looks above as the wind blows harder and move brush, flowers, leaves, branches have entered the vortex.

Stefan could feel his magic combine with Damon's, they were together creating a magical current that was going through Damon's heart into Elena's body. Stefan could feel her blood circulate, he felt Damon pushing his way through her muscles, he was leading the way, up and down her spine, through her organs, then Stefan could taste it, the bitterness of the dark magic, Damon was collecting all the little bits and fragments that were hiding all over Elena's body. Stefan relaxed and let Damon lead his magics, he gave more power, more energies, he filled Damon with all that Damon needed to cleanse Elena.

Stefan could feel Damon pulling away from his hand, he intertwined their fingers together, in his mind, 'I got you brother', Damon respond 'there's more, I have to get it all. I can't break concentration. You can, see if she is ok.' Stefan opened his eyes, he first looked at his fire, it was blazing larger than he ever thought possible, it hovered over his hand the size of a basketball. He looked at Elena, she was hanging on, her head was limp on Damon's shoulder, she was breathing, he looked at Caroline, she looked back into his eyes, he motioned to Elena. Caroline responded soundless, with a nod, saying everything was good. Stefan closed his eyes, and connected with Damon 'Elena is good, she is strong, her head is over your heart, she is pulling energy from you, your powers are strong, your wind vortex are steady, my elements are stable, the energies are there, keep going" Damon continued his quest through Elena mind, body and soul to gather all the dark magic.

It seemed like hours, yet only 20 minutes had gone by. Stefan could feel Damon combing through Elena's body searching for every piece of dark magic, containing it in the barrier they had created, he knew it was working, it was just going to take time. Stefan could feel and taste the same that Damon could, there was still more to find, he knew only Damon had the ability to roam Elena, Stefan couldn't help, all he could do was provide power to Damon and keep the magic current strong. He turned his attention to Caroline. Stefan knew Caroline was in his memories, the time during his running from Rayna Cruz, she was learning about his inner turmoil with Valerie. How guilty he felt daily not being able to love her the way that she deserved, knowing that he could never love anyone but Caroline. Knowing she was reading his thoughts, 'I didn't know how to come back to you. The twins needed you. I was on the run, Valerie's magic was the only thing that was keeping me safe, I truly did care for her, just never loved her in the way that I love you, the way that I wanted to be with you."

Caroline put into his mind, 'I was so hurt for so long, I didn't understand. Now, all I want to do is say 'I'm sorry' Stefan, I love you. Today, our life now is what we have to cherish, to live, the regrets of yesterday aren't important, they are gone, over. We did what we had to, we can learn from them. I will never again stop listening for that knock on the door, and you will never ever not knock on the door, and more importantly, we will never have to worry about that. There will never be a closed door between us again.'

Stefan was made very aware physically of Caroline's body, he could feel his body reacting to hers touching his. Reading his thoughts, Caroline put a cold rain storm in his mind, just to help him concentrate on the ritual at hand. Stefan thought with the most sarcastic voice possible "Thanks, my lovely wife" Stefan took his leg wrapped around Caroline's leg, she got the hint, and took her body nestled it closed to his, wrapping her legs around his waist and arms around his back, nestling her chin on his shoulder, whispered in his ear "Vamp love battery is here". Stefan closed his eyes and felt a new softer energy enter his magical current, it tasted sweet, but just as strong as his brother bond energy, it made the current more defined and focused.

Damon still searching in Elena, he was deep inside her mind, there was a door that was locked, he knew inside that door was the last piece of dark magic, why was Elena locking it from him, all the other pieces she let him find so easily. He heard voices, the voices were of conversations that he and Elena since they had met, faint images of these conversations flashed above him like a movies scenes projected on a ceiling. "Clues", Elena is giving me clues to get through the door, it isn't Elena's door, it's the dark magic door.

Damon looked at the lock on the door, he recognized the fitting, he started hearing the conversation playing above him "Stefan's daylight ring is the key" a table appeared next to him with Stefan's daylight ring on it. Damon took the ring and fit into the lock, and turned the door knob. The door opens slowly, it resists, something is in the way, as Damon slides around the opening, there is a body on the floor, it is Lexi. Damon is surprised "Lexi" Damon reaches down and touches her face, she is dead, he looks and there are all the people that Elena cared for lined up in a row, the he had hurt or killed laying on the floor leading to a vine covered alter table top. Damon steps over Lexi, she disappears, he looks down at Vicki's dead body next. Damon stops and looks up the line of bodies one after another, he recognizes them all, Caroline was laying with her ears staring at him limp covered with bite marks from him, then Jeremy with a broken neck, John, Isobel, Bonnie, Ric all of them with the injuries he causes. He leaned down and touched Vicki's face and remembered the moment just weeks ago, that he had a heartfelt conversation with Matt and apologized for turning Vicki into a vampire, "Vicki, you were just a lost young girl, I'm sorry I made it so much worse, it wasn't the intent, in my way, I thought being a vampire would make it better, I thought being a vampire made me better. I was wrong. I'm so sorry" Vicki disappears from under his hand.

Damon stood up, where was he, this wasn't Elena's body, looked down he saw his hand, he touched his face, he could feel his face, "Elena, where am I? What door did you have me open?" He looked down at Caroline and carefully stepped over her, he kept climbing slowly and gently over each of Elena's loved ones, slowly realizing they had become his loved ones as well, ok, maybe not John & Isobel, he said out loud. "Elena, you have already forgiven me, we got past this, twice actually, both with your memories of loving me and without." Damon looked down at Ric, he smiled, he knew Ric was at the house with the twins working on the secret mission for Elena. Then the thought came to his, this isn't Elena, this is the dark magic, this is Kai.

Damon jumped, Tyler stood up face to face. Tyler "Fight me now, Damon. You don't have the upper hand any more. Now let's see who will win, who will end up dead." Damon saddened "Tyler, man, oh man, Tyler" Damon grabbed the back of his head with his hand, and brought him into his arms for a complete embrace. "No Tyler, I will never fight you. Tyler, you did more than I could ever ask for, you protected Elena, from everything including me. Because of you, I have her. Tyler, I owe you a debt I will never be able to repay. I'm ashamed, everything you did, you did for Elena. I think back, not once did I ever have your back, not once did you ever not have to worry about whether or not I would turn on you. I'm sorry for that. After all the times, you were loyal to Elena, you saved Elena. The very least I should have done was have your back, call you 'friend', I never did." Damon stretched his hand out "Tyler, thank you, for everything you have done and continue to do, my friend" Tyler's image looked into Damon's eyes and disappeared.

"Elena, where are you? Can you hear me? This is about me isn't it. It is about me. The dark magic is feeding off of all the things that I've been hiding from. Kai linked you and Bonnie together, he had to link your body, and your actual body's life force to someone immortal or your cells would continue to age, he linked you to me, didn't he. He needed a dark soul, one that he knew would do everything they could to stay alive to see you alive. Kai really did it, of course no one would think of that, and a little bit of dark Damon would stay in Elena forever. I get it! Evil Damon, listen up, I am not scared of you, so come out, because you and I are having a face to face once and for all!"

He felt a tap on his shoulder, Damon turned around, and his eyes opening wide, "Well, I was not expecting you." He was face to face with Katherine. "Makes sense, I was innocence before I met you, my so called love for you lead me to make all sorts of decisions I regret. You did teach me how to be evil and love it. For over 150 years your definition of love was the only one I knew. So, yep, Evil Damon's face would be yours." Katherine sass "You really think that Elena can ever truly love you in the purest way, seriously Damon, a lifetime of being Good Damon, even with Elena. You can't, you loved being bad, it is who you are, who you can be again." Damon confidently replies "Katherine, you are wrong, I was never bad evil Damon, don't you get it. Even Klaus ask how I did it 'I was bad with purpose'. I never used Elena, I wanted my time with her to be real, I protected Bonnie because Elena loved her, so did I."

Damon for once heard the words that were coming out of his mouth, he knew who he need to speak to, "That first moment I saw you, Elena, that first moment. I wanted to be with you, I wanted to know where you were going, I wanted to know the people who were important to you, I wanted to know if you got to where you were going safely. I worried about you. I thought about you each day. I told myself, it was because you looked like Katherine. That was the only reason, because I loved Katherine so much, because I missed her so much. It wasn't, I never worried about Katherine, Katherine was a vampire, she didn't get hurt. She was always the one that hurt people."

Damon looked at Katherine "Did I really ever love you? Did I really ever know what love was with you?" He tilted his head and looked at her, he saw how different she looked from Elena. Elena's eyes were a bright chocolate brown, not a dark lifeless brown like Katherine's, Elena's hair was always so shiny and alive, not brassy and dull. Elena never wore a lot of makeup, she didn't need to, and Katherine seemed to have plaster all over her face. Even their skin tones are different, how did he ever think they looked alike, the differences were like neon lights to him now."

He laughed, thinking back to the moment on Elena's front porch, when he kissed Katherine and thought it was Elena "You know, even your lips are harder than Elena's are, I really should have known, you didn't feel right in my arms, you just weren't Elena." Damon smiled again "She was right to be pissed, she was right, Elena would have never kissed me, and she was with Stefan. I knew that. I should have known right then and there, Katherine was back in town. I used my ego and not my heart. I acted without using my heart at all, and that isn't who I was or who I am. Before I met Katherine, I was loving and gentle. I truly cared about people, I was a protector." Damon looks directly into Katherine's eyes "I'm done regretting you, without you, I wouldn't have met Elena, without you, I wouldn't have this amazing life in front of me. I'm done giving you anymore of my life, my thoughts, my feelings, and NO MORE HATE. I forgive you, I am free of you Katherine, forever." Katherine's image burst in thousands of pieces of dark magic.

From the floor, Damon could see the flower petals rise and surround dark magic, absorbing it, then disappear. He took a deep breath, he could see and feel all the dark magic was contained, why was he still in this room. He looked around and saw the table covered with vines still here. He walked toward it, slowly, completely unsure as to what he would find. With each step closer to the altar he took a branch of vines would disappear. Damon was just a few feet away, he could see enough to know, it wasn't a what, it was a who, the vines covered a glass coffin with Elena in it.

"Damon.. .Damon" Stefan voice called out from the brother bond.. Damon responded "Stefan, is everything ok?' Stefan relieved to get "I am worried about you, I can sense that all the dark magic is contain, and you haven't come out yet. Is everything ok with you and Elena, both of you are still out." Damon "Yes, I'm with her, she and I are fine. We have one more thing to do, I think I just figured it out. Just keep the barrier up. Boy oh Boy, our girl is a sneaky one. Get the Bourbon ready, I have a story for you.. Prince Freaken Charming. See you in a few Brother."

Damon took the daylight ring out of his pocket, "It's my daylight ring, not Stefan's. That was a good one, Elena, you tricked me and the dark magic. The door I opened was the door to your soul, Stefan's ring couldn't have done that, only I could. You know that. You gave me your access to your soul as a vampire and as human, those were the clues. You couldn't let Kai know. I had to figure that one out. It has to be my choice." Damon takes another step towards the altar and another vine disappears. "You want all of me, no more insecurities, no more subconscious protection spells, no more doubts. You are demanding that I make a choice, complete trust in our love, you and I."

Damon looks up, the images change to all the times he saved her, rescued her, put her first, and all the times, she rescued him, helped him make the right decisions. "Elena, seriously.. Prince Charming, coming on.. A Freaking Disney Character. I'm Knight in Shining Amour." Damon looks down, his grey shirt changed to a black leather jacket. He takes 3 quick steps, and rest of the vines disappear, as he stands before the coffin. "A Studly & Dashing Prince Charming with a pinch of kink, I can live with that." Damon takes the glass dome from the altar, there lays Elena exquisitely beautiful, dressed in a gorgeous light blue gown, with flowing ribbons and flower petals all around her. Damon shakes his head and knows that she has won his everything, "As witnessed with all the purest of nature's magic. I, Damon Salvatore do hereby give my eternal soul in its entirety to Elena Gilbert." Damon leans down and kisses Elena's lips.

Elena whispers in Damon's ear "Salvatore" Damon opens his eyes, they are in the Temple pond. Caroline excitedly "Your back, are you ok?" Damon replies, "Yes, Let's get rid of this dark crap for good, shall we Brother!" said as a statement, not a question. Stefan generates a larger fire ball, Damon speeds up the wind swirl. Damon holds on tighter, "Elena, hold on this might tingle a bit more than usual. Ok, Stef.. Now" Damon & Stef start the cleansing chant together, Elena & Caroline feel a charge of electrical current go through the water and into their bodies. Dark brown ink like fluid comes out of their pores into the water, the petals and leaves floating collect and absorb it immediately. The wind current lifts the contaminated petals up and away.

Elena looked at Caroline, she was gray and shaking, there was something wrong. Elena raises her voice, "Damon, something is wrong with Caroline." Stefan looks down at Caroline, "The ritual is almost done, she can feed from me as soon as we are done, we need 15 more seconds! Keep going." Damon doesn't stop, Stefan gets back into the rhythm. The wind dies down, the flame calm. The ritual is over.

Stefan grabs Caroline, takes him wrist and puts it to her mouth "Honey, drink, you have to drink." Caroline doesn't, she is out. Stefan looks at Damon and then back at Caroline "Caroline, Open your eyes, come on, you can't leave me. Care, Please, you have to drink."

Damon uses his powers and summons a sharp rock to his hand, Stefan extends his wrist, Damon uses the rock to slit an opening. Stefan puts the wound over Caroline's mouth and the fresh blood starts to drips into her mouth. Within seconds, she starts to suckle, her color starts returning to her cheeks, face, arm and throughout her body within a few minutes.

All eyes are on Caroline as she opens her eyes, she starts to realize that everyone's attention is focused on her. Caroline looks around and realizes she is in Stefan's lap, and is feeding on his wrist. She stops feeding, Stefan demands "Caroline, you need to drink more, I'm fine, we are in the water, I'm healing as fast as you are drinking, please, keep going. You were completely drained" Damon questions, "How come she desiccated? I didn't think we were using her as a battery. I didn't feel her energy, I only felt the earth and wind. Did you use her?" Stefan confused "I didn't think so, I was channelling the love I feel for her, so I could get inside Elena through you for the barrier, I wasn't using her for power."

Elena added "I don't know if this helps, when you two were chanting, and the dark magic was being released, it was coming out of both of us, me and out of Caroline." Stefan looked at Damon, Caroline was still feeding from Stefan, stopped "Did Kai put a spell on me too?" Caroline went back to feeding. Elena noticed Caroline "She isn't vamping, look at her eyes" Damon looked "Care, are you using your fangs?" Caroline opened her mouth, showed her teeth, no fangs. Damon requested, "Care, can you use your fangs?" Caroline put her hands on her tooth, slowly, two pointy fangs appeared "I was drinking, I didn't realize I wasn't biting." Damon with a wondered look on his face "You aren't feeding." Stefan now joined the confusion "What do you mean? She is feeding, she is drinking my blood, I can feel her sucking it out of my wrist."

Damon explaining, "Think about it Stef, the bloodlust, the hunt.. the feed… The darkness of what it means to be a vampire. What if we drained that dark magic from Caroline. She needs blood to survive, she wouldn't need the hunt, she wouldn't have the bloodlust, she doesn't need the feed, she just needs to drink, to be nourished with blood. That is why she isn't vamping while she is drinking directly from you. If I'm right, Care, use your fangs and bite Stef to drink. Watch her eyes, they aren't going to vamp." Caroline bites Stef and suckles blood, Stefan watch as her eyes never change. Stefan dumbfounded, "The one vampire in history that doesn't need help with bloodlust control, now doesn't have bloodlust." Caroline laughs, "How do you know? Do you know how many times in the middle of the night I wake up with my fangs on your neck ready to chomp?" she follows it up with a kiss on his neck. Stefan takes Caroline's face in his hands and passionately kisses her. She wraps her arms around his neck, it takes 2 seconds for him to realize she is naked in his arms.

With a twist of his wrist, a wall of water rises from the pond to separate the couples. Caroline barely hears Damon's laughter through the passion that Stefan is igniting as his hands roam her body. His lips leave her mouth, softly kissing a trail to her neck, stopping to whisper in her ear "Are you feeling better, do you need to drink more, before we continue?" Caroline shakes her head and drops her neck to the side, allowing his better access. His lips continue their assault down her shoulder, finding his way across her clavicle. His lips stopped for a moment, his hands moved forward and caressed her breasts as his head leaned into her lips.

Stefan stopped, and looked into her eyes "Caroline, I love you. You need to know this. I thought I understood how intense love could feel. I thought I had been made whole by love. Caroline, I was so WRONG, loving you has redefined everything I thought I knew about love. You fit me perfectly, I don't have stress, worry, or refrain. I've always been able to let go, to have fun, you have been my sober sponsor, my conscious and ray of sunshine in the sea of darkness. I should have seen it, I started making excuses to be around you. I didn't even understand what my heart was doing, Elena was changing, so was I. I want you to know, I know the moment I was in love with you. That moment you know there is no other person on this earth for you. I know when that moment was" Caroline's eyes gloss over, her heart was melting right there over every word coming from his mouth, from his heart. Stefan continues "It was at your mother funeral services, Damon was speaking directly to you, he called you extraordinary and a light in a sea of darkness, and I knew, you were mine, you had chased all my darkness away, even demons that had been there for over hundred years, were gone because of you. When I was around you, I was whole, not a man barely holding on, a whole man capable of laughter, sorrow, fun, joy, anger, rage and control at all times." Stefan kisses her completely, possessively, deeply with a passion he never felt for anyone other than Caroline. Caroline lifted her legs around Stefan's waist, he immediately knew she wanted him. Stefan spoke softly, "You are my heart & soul, be one with me."

The water around them became firmer, like a mattress, Stefan rolled Caroline onto her back, slowly cupped her head in his hands. His body was warm, her legs still around him, he is aching to be inside her, not yet he tells himself. Not realizing that Caroline is sharing his thoughts he hears her words out loud "Why not?" in a harsh tone. Stefan smiles, realizing what was happening, so he lets his thoughts do the talking for him. He thinks of all the things he is about to do to her body, with every thought, his hand or mouth follows the exact action. Caroline becomes unglued as Stefan's mouth travels down her body, never retreating, as her legs unwind from his waist, he slides lower and kisses her navel. Her breath deepens, he feels the strength in her legs willing themselves down and away from crushing him. He smiles, his vampire wife, with vampire strength is about ready to use her super self control. He smiles again, his thoughts just betrayed him, her hands moved to his hair, she heard that thought. Caroline responses in like "just remember torture can go both ways my human strength husband." He went directly to the place where he knew she would be distracted. Caroline arched her back and crumbled under his mouth. He knew she was there, he slid up her body and entered her swiftly. His mouth found hers over and over, following the same rhythm that their bodies had found.

On the other side of the water wall.

Damon's laughter got the better of him, "I guess four is not a party." He tightens his grip on Elena, carrying her to the other end of the pond. "Prince Charming, did you really have to be such a cliché?" Elena giggles, "Don't give me that, Damon Salvatore, you loved it, you are the most romantic man on this earth." Damon smirked, "I wouldn't go as far as "loved it". I do love you, my princess, my queen." Elena twists in his arms, that motion reminds him of her clothing status. Damon reminds her, "You realize there is nothing between us at this moment. All I have to do is move your leg like this, and lower you just a bit and we can make some amazing magic." Elena's breath gets heavier, "That's right, the ritual. We still have to finish it." Damon's look changed to worry "Do you feel something? Stefan and I thought we got every bit of dark magic."

Elena smiles, "The oiling part, every inch of my body has to be covered with the oil to make sure that none of that bad stuff gets back in." She says with a devilish grin. Damon's eyebrow arches, "I know when and what you are talking about my Queen. You are subtle as a chainsaw. First, I want to know how do you feel, really? You went through a lot today, you had an enormous amount of magic going in and out of you. Even the most mature witches would be physically spent from it." Elena softly molds to his body, "I was, until that last spell you and Stefan did, something happened when all the dark magic left my body. I felt a new energy replace it, a strong, bright light energy repairing everything. If felt like it did that first time we made love, after I woke up, it was though you were giving me all your energy, your magic, healing me."

She looked into Damon's eyes, "Since you and I are now one soul, wouldn't that make sense, your magic would make me better anytime I need it?" Damon cautious, "I'm not sure it works that way, because you are not a witch. I know that I can heal you with my magic, I have to cast the spell for it to work on you." Damon paused "One soul, how did you know that I still had those things inside me?" Elena confessing, "You know that Kai linked my body to yours, so when you slept, I could see and be with you in your dreams. When you were awake, I felt what your body felt, if you were injured or fatigued, hungry or tired."

Damon remembering everything that happened while he was inside her soul, "You were my dimmer stitch, that warm spark, I couldn't figure out why Sybil couldn't get all of me, she couldn't figure it out either. Sirens are supposed to have full psych control of men, she never had my soul, she couldn't deliver it to Cade. It was you, you were always fighting her, weren't you?"

Elena confirmed, "Yes, I wasn't about to let the love of my life go without a fight." Damon trying to put everything together, "Wait a minute, the only way you could have fought Sybil is from my soul. You were connected to my soul already, how?" Elena explained, "The night we died together, the Traveler's spell. Our souls were connected that night. We crossed to the other side together, remember holding hands, when we woke up we were still holding hands." Elena looked into Damon's eyes watching him remember, "I knew for sure, the night I took the cure, when my doppelganger blood re-activated, something changed as I got my memories back. My love for you was as strong as ever. It wasn't about my love for you, it was how I could sense you and your feelings. I knew that your offer to take the cure came with many reservations and a big part of it was about losing me. It's why I made Stefan take you to all those very dark places before Ric's wedding, it's also why I knew, when you came back that you truly wanted a human life with me. After all that, I wasn't going to give up our future to a crazy hell bound bitch. That what we do, Damon, we fight together, and we survive, together, we figure out a way to be together."

Damon laughs "I think I've been emotionally sired to you since the moment I laid eyes on you. Everyone was worried about what I would do to you. My love, my soul, you ruined me, for the absolute better, in every way, every single part of my being you have affected, influenced, made me want to be a better man. And now, you have my soul for eternity." Elena agreed, "Yes, I do. Can we talk about having your body right now?" Damon immediately got the hint.

He took Elena in his arms, carried her out of the pond, set her on the ground, with one arm around her, he waved the other and a long glassy knoll appeared with soft flower petals surrounding it. In one swift movement, she was back in his arms, he walked to the middle of the grass and laid her down, a gentle warm breeze surrounded them as fragrant blossoms domed the knoll.

Elena impressed, "This is so beautiful, and warm, you are amazing." Damon replied, "Anything for my Queen." Damon laid down next to her, "Words aren't needed any more, I can feel everything you want me to do, everything you feel, I can feel. Elena, I still want, need to hear the words." Elena puts her fingers over his lips "shhhh, I want to hear the words too, I feel what you want, what you need, what you feel. I still want to hear you say the words. Damon, I need to hear the words as well. The words are what made us one soul. Now I have a word that starts with "K" and ends with "S."

Damon covers her body with his, takes her mouth with his, and no more words are spoken. Elena's breath deepens, her heart starts to race, Damon leans up on his arms, he looks at her face and sees all the passion in her eyes. He thinks "oh how I love this woman." Elena responds, "Oh, How I love this man!" Damon, "this is going to get annoying if you're going to read my mind all the time." Elena "I can't read your mind, only your heart & soul, my love." Damon shook his head "Good to know, because my mind has decided to go in a different direction, you wanted something earlier, and I've decided to grant your wish. Turn over." Elena starts to say something, then stops, with a questioning look in her eye, she slowly turns over to lay on her stomach. Damon moves down to her feet, and waves his hands above his head. The dome of flowered vines start moving & stretching, soon drops of oils start dripping down onto Elena's body. Elena "That feel's wonderful, so warm." Damon's hands start at her feet, massaging all the drops of oil into her skin, slowly sliding up her calves one by one. He straddles her legs as he works his way up her body, he can feel Elena's desires building, his own are raging, they need the same. His hands reach her buttocks, he slides his palms from side to side, resting on her hips, as he spreads his legs, her legs follow. His hands reach up her back as his leans his body forward, pressing his hardness between her legs, she arches her hips to meet him, they groan in unison as their bodies become one. Damon's hands continue to massage her skin with deliberate strokes matching the movements his body is making. He slows, he knows, he feels it too. He rests his hands on either side of Elena and drops his chin on her head, "I know, I'm not ready either, this isn't how I want to finish. I need to see your eyes. I just can't seem to pull out this second, let's just lay here and catch a breath or two." Elena "I like this part, being able to understand each other completely. Damon, only a breath or two"

Damon smiled, yes, he understood. He rolled over onto the grass, Elena rolled over as well, Damon waved his hand again, the drops of oils began again, over both of them this time. For a moment each of them laid in silence. Elena was the first to move, quickly, on top of Damon. He wasn't completely expecting this, he also didn't do or say anything to stop it. Damon "I guess I have to massage you like this" His hands reached up and started caressing her shoulders and down her chest, lingering over her breast, feeling her nipples to his touch sending a charge on desire straight to his core. Elena's movements were matching his caresses. He thoughts slipped back to reality for a brief second, her legs needed the oils absorbed. He sat up, folded his legs to cushion her buttocks, keeping their bodies connected as one, slowly leaned and slid one of her legs at a time around his hips so that she was completely wrapped around him. He took his hands, sliding one at a time back and front the entire length of the leg, massaging all the oils into the skin. He was face to face with her, eye to eye. They saw every bit of passion and desire as it consumed them. Elena "Damon!" Damon "YES" Together they held each tight and felt the waves of pleasure and desire mix. Elena's head rested on Damon's shoulder for long moments after the pulsing stopped. Neither wanted to move, if truth be told, either was capable of moving.

This was the first time they had made love since they had been mated by their souls. Neither one of them expected what had just happened. Damon leaned his head back to look at Elena "I know you are breathing, completely in love with me. Are you ok? Because that was more then I have words to describe." Elena, not moving at all "I'm completely spent and yes to everything you just said" Damon laughed, he carefully leaned to his side, making sure not to crush Elena's leg, so they could lay down, he opened a part of the dome, so the moon light could peek through, he didn't want Elena to become chilled. He made a mental note, blankets, he needed to learn a spell for blankets or bring some with them. He gathered her in his arms, covering her with his body's warmth, and closed his eyes thinking 'rest just a minute'.

Stefan rolls over with Caroline in his arms. The male pride of spending his entire vampire wife's energy, he couldn't deny was there, he was feeling very much a, what was the word he was search for, oh yes 'stud'. He tried not to make a sound as he laughed at himself, not exactly a word that should be in the vocabulary of a 168 year old man. The sound made Caroline stir, she snuggled deeper under his chin, "Am I funny?" Stefan "Not at all, I'm the luckiest man on this earth to have you in my arms. Now shhh, and go back to sleep."

Damon felt Elena stir, he opened his eyes to find her staring at him. "Hello, sleepy head" Damon kissed her on the forehead "I was just re-charging. You drained me, big time, my Queen" Elena "My Sire, you did some major draining yourself, in a very good way. I can't wait to repeat." To prove it, she slide her hand down to where she could make point the hardest. He covered her hand "No need, I have the utmost confidence in your abilities to make it stand up". Elena laughed. Damon "We need to find Stef and Care. We have been MIA for a long while. The brother bond says he is good. We shouldn't push it. I don't want him looking for us, while we are.. well.. " He squeezed his hand over hers to make his point. Elena "Clothes should be the first order of business then. You naked is more temptation then I can resist." Damon leaned down, took her nipple into his mouth and suckled to prove her point. Elena took a deep breath in, her eyes smoldered with passion, Damon released immediately, he realized, he just started something that he wouldn't stop. Damon took her into his arms, devouring her mouth with his, this time it wasn't soft and gentle. They were eager and there was strength in each motion. Elena grabbed Damon's waist, pulling him on top of her, opening her legs wide, inviting him without words. Damon was hard with desire from the moment he looked in her eyes, he felt the heat between her thighs, the invitation was not declined. He entered her with determination, his movements were strong and swift, they came together with fire in the passion. Elena was not silent, as she climaxed with his name. He came to her with such a force, sweat beads trailed down his chest.

Neither of them wanted to move for a long period of time. Damon lowered the domed Love Nest that he created, knowing it was time to find Stefan and Caroline.


	12. Chapter 12 - The Brother Bond Expands

Chapter 12 - The Brother Bond expands

Damon leaves to find clothes for him and Elena. He arrives back, "I really prefer you without anything on" Elena looking at the clothes in his hands, "Damon, I'm hungry for actual food. We are human now, yes, making love is amazing, but we need food. Where's my shirt?" Damon hands her an extra one of his shirts. "Mine will have to do for now" Damon puts his pants on, he walks over to Elena and helps her with the last few buttons on his shirt. "I like you in my shirts, I know how to get them off you quickly". Elena looks at him with the 'you will never change' look.

Damon and Elena make their way back to the SUV, they start pulling out all the picnic supplies. Elena finds the bag she had packed and gets her hair tie & brush, pulls her hair back. She brings Damon a fresh t-shirt. Stefan and Caroline join them, as Damon puts his t-shirt on, "Elena, did you bring an extra one of those?" Elena heads to the back of the SUV, grabs a t-shirt from the bag and wiggles it at Stefan. Stefan walks over, takes the t-shirt, and tugs it over his head. Elena hands him a cooler and 2 bags, he follows Damon who is loaded with an arm full of bags heading to Caroline. Caroline has the blanket laid out on the grass, she is sitting down directing the brothers as they arrive with contents from the SUV.

Caroline has everything set out and presentable in moments. Elena takes a spot on the blanket next to Damon. She leans forward to take a piece of bread, tears off a piece, and twists to lead it into Damon's mouth. Damon makes a lip-smacking sound, Elena bites her bottom lip in return. Both of them are still recovering from the earlier events.

Caroline gets Elena's attention "Elena, we should tell the brothers what we were talking before the ritual started. The idea's for adding a few features to the temple." Elena agrees, "Thanks right, I was also thinking that having a little storage shed would be nice too." Caroline continues, "Maybe we should just build a little cottage. The original Salvatore Mansion was on this site. Stefan, maybe we can have someone come out and see if the original foundation is any good, we could build something right on top of that." Stefan caught Damon's eye gesture and smiled "Brother, so much for our Man Cave Temple, our lovely ladies have invaded." Elena shocked, "That's not true. It's just we imagine you're going to need to spend quite a bit of time here. It makes sense, especially while you're learning more about your magic. Caroline and I should have a place that is out of your way, yet nearby if you need to channel us. Since apparently, we are part of your power source." Caroline agreeing, "Good one". Elena eyeing her friend, "Shh Care" The brothers smile and kiss the top of the heads of their women, Damon looking at Stefan, "Brother, we have lost. They have made up their minds. After we eat, let's go survey and find a place for their SHE – Shed." Energized over the victory Caroline announces, "We also thought about a few other things," then proceeds to explain them. The brothers look at each other with both resignation and laughter, they realize what just happened. Their women just took over their Man Cave Temple.

Damon and Stefan leave the two women, to go off and survey their former Man Cave Temple. Stefan says, "I hate to say it, our ladies had some really good ideas." Damon capitulates, "I know, I guess that's why for centuries they've been known as our better half. We better not say that too loud because Caroline is probably telling Elena everything we're talking about."

Stefan relents, "Come on, Damon, you know they are already 10 steps ahead of us. They had this planned out before we even got out of the car. And that my brother is why we love and need them. They just let us think we rule the roost." Stefan continues, "Damon, I have been thinking about what's next. Now that we have our powers, what are we going to do next? This doesn't seem like a reward for living a vampire life. It feels like the start of a life's mission or destiny. Demetrius said something 'Emily was the one coming into our lives, not Katherine. Emily the witch."

Damon interrupted, "Agreed, similar thoughts, brother. If our destiny was intertwined with Emily's, what part of that destiny was to help free Emily from Katherine's grasp? I've been thinking about how much Emily tried to protect and intervene on our behalf with Katherine. Bonnie was from Qetysia bloodline, as was Ayana, and Emily. Maybe it's me, Petrova bloodline, Tatia, Katherine, and Elena, Brothers; Demetrius & Silas, Klaus & Elijah, you and I. There are too many coincidences throughout history and bloodlines to think this is finished. I think you feel it too, when I say, I have no worries or doubts that whatever comes our way we have the power and abilities to find the solution. Being one with the elements feels like it is my/our job to find balance, not wage war or win a battle, to find a solution for everyone to live in balance and harmony. This is a very new feeling for me. I'm not sure how to process it. I know that is why Elena is in my life."

Stefan agrees, "Those are the exact words for the feelings I'm having for Caroline, she is my balance. She is the reason I can find the middle, I don't need to be on either of the far extremes I have lived my entire existents in. Without her, I never had balance, control, peace, with her I feel a peace in my soul that I've never ever had, not one moment, not even with Elena." Damon commenting, "Hmm, after all those years of you being mad at me for 'stealing your girl' all that guilt I went through, are you actually saying 'thank you' because Caroline was actually the right girl for you. Big brother knows best."

Stefan jokingly, "You do realize, I have the power to throw actual fireballs at you, giant sizes, lava hot fireballs at you with perfect aim" Damon devilishly, "Yep, I will take that as a Thank you." Stefan changing the subject, "What do you think, will the girls like this place for the table?" Damon agrees, "Let's do it" Conjuring the elements the brother went to work on the temple.

Elena and Caroline were catching up on more Mystic Falls gossip from Elena's magical nap when the brothers returned. An aroma of burnt clothing stirred as they went to the cooler to grab a beer. When Damon turned his back to the blanket, the ladies saw why the aroma lingered, a large round piece of fabric was missing from the middle of the back of his t-shirt. Elena chuckled, "Should I ask what happened to your shirt?" Stefan harshly responded "Slight difference of recollection." Damon smiling, "Ptsss, you got off a lucky shot, brother." Walking toward Elena with a large glass jar, "Here are more oils, you said you wanted more for your skin. You don't need it for the ritual. It is all-natural, and if it feels good, you should use it." Elena thankfully, "Caroline that was Damon's talk for I'm changing the topic, because I deserve it, Stefan was right, so I can't say anything." Looking at Damon smiling "Thank you, Damon, for my oils, I really do like them very much."

Stefan sits down behind Caroline and puts his arms around her, he gently pulls tight into his chest, lays his arm on her shoulder, leans his head down to her ear, "Speaking of being right, love, it is time for you to have a snack, please, you have to keep your strength up, please, drink" Caroline worried, "We aren't in the pond, you can't heal as fast as I drink. I can wait until get home and get a blood bag." Damon caught the exchange, he wondered. Stefan demands "Caroline, drink, I can channel fire if I get weak." Damon interrupted, "Care, please, Stef can channel me too, you aren't going to drain him. Let him worry about you for once." Caroline looks at Damon, who nods, then looks up at Stefan, who's eyes are filled with worry. Caroline slowly shows her fangs and sinks them into Stefan's arm. Stefan wraps his other arm around her and leans his chin on the top of her head.

As though, he had no care in the world, Stefan's voice is solid and sure, he picks up the conversation from when they had arrived, "I agree, Damon, we should have someone come out and look at the foundation of the old plantation. I doubt that it is strong enough for anything, but it would be interesting to find out. One day, you and Elena will have a family, although our parents did not promote the best example, I have amazing memories of us as brothers. We created a legacy of brotherhood that should be passed down to the next generation." Elena felt it, Damon's sadness, she looked at him, he knew what she wanted to know, he smiled and nodded, telling her without words that he would explain later. Damon responded "I like that idea, brother. You shall have nieces or nephews to tell many stories to someday. We promise." Caroline stopped feeding "I will remind you that your stepdaughters need a place to hear those stories today." Stefan agreed, "You do not need to remind me, I have them in my mind and heart every day. Damon and I already built their play area, it is ready for your inspection... AFTER you finish eating." Caroline went back to suckling on Stefan's arm. Stefan stretched his palm flat and a fireball appeared, Caroline saw the fireball, she began to suck harder and faster, Stefan laughed out loud.

The couples are relaxing, Elena watches Stefan and Caroline for a moment, she smiles, she looks up at Damon "This feels so good, I don't think I've ever had a moment that felt more normal, more right." Damon kisses the top of her head, he looks at Stefan "She can't help herself" Stefan smiles. Damon asks Stefan, "Can I borrow your wife? I need to take her for a walk." Both Elena and Caroline look at Damon with an inquisitive stare. Stefan responds "Sounds good to me, I wouldn't mind keeping your's company for a while, I've missed her."

Stefan stands, extends his hand to Caroline, helps her up, grabs her waist. Before letting her go, he takes her chin in his hand, lowers his mouth to hers. He knows she isn't the most comfortable with Damon's request, he knows what is in store for her, he is going to do something about it. He tightens his grip on her body, he coaxes her lips apart with his tongue and deepens the kiss to a passionate level as it swirls around hers, her body wilts in his arms. Caroline all but forgets there is an audience, until Stefan releases his hand from her chin, not letting her waist go until she is aware of her surroundings. She looks up at him "Sneaky". Stefan replies, "Go have fun, we can finish this when you get back." There was a tone of promise in his voice. Caroline looked at Damon, who had his arm stretched out, she linked hers around as she stepped in sync with him. They walked toward the west side of the temple.

Elena smiles, "Stefan, you are so happy. I can't tell you how that makes me feel." Stefan responds, "You were right, today everything is happy and right." Stefan walks over to Elena "We should go for a walk too. There are things that we need to talk about." Stefan holds his hand out, and Elena takes it, they walk hand in hand to the east side of the temple.

Damon starts talking, "Your mother would be in complete AWW of you and what you have done in your life, the woman you have become, the mother you are. I know I am." Damon takes a deep breath. "My brother is so lucky to have you by his side."

Caroline agrees "I'm lucky too. I love him so much. I think I noticed him from day one, things were just complicated in the beginning." Damon couldn't believe how lucky he got, she just handed him a golden invitation to the topic he needs to dive into, "Caroline, speaking of all those years ago, I need to get some things said. I need you to know the truth. You and I started with a bad mix of right and wrong, I picked you because you are beautiful, sexy and were totally checking me out whenever I showed up. I loved the attention. Yes, I did it on purpose, I did it to get your attention. You would flash those amazing bedroom eyes of yours and I knew we would make amazing magic in bed together. – all of that was for the right reasons. The wrong reasons - you were Elena's best friend – I could use you to find out anything I needed to know, you were human, I could feed on you, Stefan knew you, he liked you, he would worry about you. I knew I could get to them through you, threatening you, or almost threatening you, anything I did with you, worried them, took them off their game. I could manipulate them by being with you."

Damon again stopped, this time he looked at Caroline, straight into her eyes, "I never said I was sorry. I need to tell you, I need you to know something, you already know that I didn't compel you to have sex with me. I also need you to know, I didn't abuse you that way. I slept with you because you are beautiful and I thought you were sexy back then, and because I wanted you. As a vampire, abusing women wasn't my thing, yes, I fed on them, they tasted better than men, but sexually pleasuring women was an issue of pride for me. I am good at it, I enjoyed knowing that I could make them enjoy it. I just wanted you to know. That when I was using you, it was to get back at Stefan, if I could hurt Elena, I knew it would be killing Stefan. Using you for information, feeding on you, that was how I could hurt Stefan. Being with you, that I did for me because I wanted to because I wanted you. I want you to know I am not sorry about that, I am sorry for everything else, I'm so very sorry for." Caroline confused, "Damon, why are you telling me this? All this is ancient history. I forgave you when you proved you could be there for Elena and more when you were there for Stefan. Why re-hash this now?"

Damon explains, "Because, Caroline, you are my family now, I know what pure love is now. I love you as a brother does. I need you to know that you can count on me to protect you, to love you, to be there for you. I want to earn your trust. The only way I can try is to that is, to be honest, and tell you everything, even the bad. Because one day, I want you to be able to say 'brother, I trust you, brother, I know you have my back. Because that is the day as a witch, I know I can protect as my sister, as a brother should."

Caroline is almost speechless, "Woww, You are pulling all the punches. Ok, honestly, I hated you for a long time. You used me to hurt my friends, the people I loved like sisters. And, yes, I never felt like you took advantage of me sexually, and yes, I was always taken care of in that department when we were together, I did appreciate that about you, of course, I couldn't tell you or anyone else. However, officially, Stefan is better." Damon laughed.

Caroline continues "Damon, you changed, Elena was right to love you, she was right when she saw good in you. She said that you didn't understand what it felt like to be loved unconditionally. She knew who the real you was, that you were different when you felt real love. She was right, you are different. I started seeing you, the real you. The you that wouldn't actually kill your brother, the you that fought anything and everything to get your brother back. The Damon that put Elena's safety in front of his own, I stopped counting how many times you put your life endanger to save Elena's or for that matter mine life too." Caroline paused, she wiped a tear from her eye "My mom loved you, she trusted you, you made her feel so safe. You stayed in the hospital with her, all night, you comforted her, you loved her, you always made her feel special. That was when I first start to see the Damon that Elena could fell in love with. Damon, you've been chipping away at my distrust of the evil Damon for quite a while. You chipped away more, every time you saved Bonnie. You never gave up on Stefan, you wouldn't let Cade have him alone, you kept fighting for him. So yes, Damon, I forgive you completely. I can honestly say I do trust you, not just with my life, with my girls' lives. I love you as my brother. And one day soon, you'll do something for me that no one else can." Damon didn't understand. Caroline smiled, "You will officially make Elena my sister." Caroline threw her arms around Damon's neck, Damon hugged Caroline, he knew she was telling the truth.

Damon honestly asked, "Caroline, please, do one more thing for me, for us, let me protect you too, just like Stefan can. He can feel you, just like I can feel Elena, because of our love for each of you. We are witches/warlocks, what evers. We can feel it, we know there is a bigger destiny in store for us now. We know there may come a time when one of us is unavailable. Stefan and I need to know that the loves of our lives, the women who make us whole, are safe, so we can keep fighting. If you let me, you will be able to connect to me, through the same magical bond that connects Stefan and I. It will only work if you completely trust me as a brother, it is part of the brother bond. Since he loves you, and I love you as a sister, or sibling, you could connect to me if you were in trouble. I also would be able to sense if you were in physical pain or harm." Caroline asks, "Would you be able to read my mind?"

Damon answers right away, "No, it doesn't work that way, I can only tell when Stefan needs me when he is physically hurting or needs my magic. He can send an image into my mind, when he is in trouble, only after I've felt he is in physical pain or harm. Stefan and I are hoping that you and Elena will agree to brother bond with us. Both of us are having a hard time accepting our new lives, knowing that we have a new destiny, knowing that being in love, love is a power for us. We have also lived for almost 200 hundred years, we have lost so many people that we have cared about, that we have loved. We accept that loss is part of love, we also know that we have and were given the power to protect the ones we love from the evil that we have to fight." Damon looks into Caroline once more "I can't imagine my life without you."

Caroline confidently, "Ok, what do I have to do? Get the knife, where do I have to bleed into? Geez, all this hocus pocus." She says with a big smile. Damon smiles, "No bleeding, our magic is about the elements, not blood. I have to anoint you with my elements."

Caroline disgusted, "OH GOD DAMON, MUD... I'm going to have to get covered in mud... Geez, you're going to have me play out one of your male fantasies, female mud wrestling scenes. Aren't you?" Damon laughs out loud, just as Stefan and Elena join them.

Elena smiling at Caroline's tantrum, "what did we miss?" Caroline shrill, "Did Stefan tell you what this is all about?" Elena using a soothing tone, "No, just that we needed to join you guys at the pond. I can see that Damon is being Damon. What did he say this time?"

Stefan takes over "Our magic is based on human love, it works because of our ability to love. The more we love, the more we can do, the more powerful our magic can become. The more we love, the more vulnerable we feel, the more we have to internally fight the dark negativity that we knew all too well as vampires."

Damon continues, "If Stefan brother bonds with Elena and I bond with Care, there is another layer of love to power our ability to protect you two. We will be able to fight the fight, do our Good against evil business better knowing that there is one more way to protect the ones that we love."

Caroline getting heated again, "Elena, he wants to anoint me with MUD." Everyone starts laughing Stefan amused, "That's what all the distress I felt was about?' Damon shakes his head "That and a female mud wrestling fantasy" Stefan confused, "What?" Damon innocently, "Brother, her idea, not mine, I swear!" Caroline says disgusted "Damon!" Elena smiles "yes, siblings"

Caroline agrees "Fine, if I have to be covered in mud, let's get it over with. I just washed my hair this morning. Stefan, why didn't you warn me?" Stefan amused, "It isn't going to be that bad, and even so, I promise I'll wash your hair for you, I will make sure you enjoy every bit of cleaning the mud off you." Stefan said with promise in the tone of his voice.

Elena asking "Does that mean that Stefan and I have to do the same thing?" Stefan answers, "Elena, you and I are already there, we have a spoken trust, love and respect for each other. We have moved our love for each other from lovers to friends, when I married Caroline, it changed again. I noticed it at the table the morning after you woke up. You looked at me with a different look, the smile was different. I didn't understand until my brother magic woke up, your love for me was the same as your love for Jeremy, you saw how happy Caroline made me, and that made you so happy, your heart was bursting with joy, just like a sister would." Elena thought back "You are right, I did feel that for you at that moment. When did you think of me as a sister?"

Stefan "It has been a while, at first when I figured out that you were Damon's soul mate. It was a tough fact to deal with, the truth kept slapping me in the face. Something interesting kept happening, instead of my heart breaking, it was getting stronger, my brother came back to me, and you never left me, your support, your love, your loyalty, it was always there, only stronger, because it combined with Damon's as one, together, as my brother & sister. That is when I knew I loved you as a Sister." Elena reached up around Stefan's neck, as his arm instinctual went around her waist for a hug "I love you so much, brother" she said, "Am I going to get muddy too?" The brothers' laugh echoed in the temple.

Stefan takes Elena to the far end of the temple pond, to his newly formed alter, one of the suggested temple improvements (by the Caroline & Elena). Stefan takes the bowl from the top of the altar and goes to the edge of the pond, he fills it with water, brings the bowl back to the altar. Elena is watching Stefan's every movement, he stretches out his hand toward her, she walks over to him, Stefan "This isn't going to hurt at all. It requires no doubts, just complete love and trust that we will protect each other, love each other, the best that we can as siblings are. We can still disagree, we just know that during every disagreement, the love & loyalty isn't breakable. Can you promise that? All that we have gone through, the hurt, the pain I caused you in the past, can you forgive it all forever? You have to trust, that no matter what you may hear, see or think, that I would NEVER do anything to harm you or Damon, can you believe in me that much Elena?" Elena puts her hand over his heart, "I already do." He looks down at her hand and smiles "We are ready, now you just have to do that again, but a little bit more intimately" she looks at him with a confused look as she drops her hand, he removes his shirt. He says "This is the only weird part I promise."

He takes her hand and puts it into the bowl of water and begins to chant, the water begins to fizz. Stefan "Put your hand over my heart again, and say, Brother of my heart, keep saying it until the fire dies, ok?" Elena shakes her head 'yes'. Stefan stretches his hands out and fireballs appear in them, Elena takes her hand from the bowl of water and places the palm flat over his heart and starts to chant "Brother of my Heart, Brother of my Heart" Stefan chants "Sister of my heart.. Sister of my heart" They chant as one as the flames turn different shades of orange and blue, the water on Elena's hand continues to fizz, tingling her skin as it dries. Soon the flames start to fade, becoming smaller and smaller, Elena stops chanting when she doesn't hear Stefan voice anymore, she opens her eyes. Stefan is looking at her, "how do you feel?"

Elena has tears in her eyes, "I feel so much, it's like I feel how and what you and Damon feel for me at the same time. There something else too, something stronger. I don't understand, it is so powerful, is that your magic in me? It feels a little like when Damon's magic, but different. Stefan, I'm so emotional, I can't stop, I just need to …" Stefan pulls her into his arms, "Yes, my magic has connected you and me through Damon & I, our Brother bond magic, that is the power and emotion you feel. Right now, you are caught in a three-way conference call, my magic will not work with you, without your love for Damon, and my love and brother bond with him. I guess they call that the perfect storm." Elena starts to really let the tears flow. Soon his chest is wet, he releases her slightly, and puts his shirt back on quickly. Elena realizes what is going on, she slides back into his embrace "I'm sorry, I'm such a cry baby. You know, you have always been in my heart, now it feels so perfectly right and just normal, like the way it was always supposed to be." With her arms around him, her tears start to flow again, this time his shirt catches each one. Stefan puts his chin on the top of her head, "Now you are forever my sister, protected and loved. You can be as much of a cry baby as you want to." Elena tries to agree, only sobs come out, Stefan holds just a bit tighter, knowing exactly what his sister needs.

Damon "I have to admit Care, this individual altar was a great idea." Caroline "Thanks, Damon, do I really have to get muddy?" Damon smiles "Just a little bit, Care, I promise. Are you sure you don't want to overdo it, make Stefan keep his word regarding the 'clean up'." Caroline glares, "Damon, get your mind out of the gutter, that isn't very brotherly." Damon looks at Caroline "Caroline, you need to understand this, now, before we do this. You are a very sexy woman. I have personal knowledge of what you can do to a man when you only THINK you care about him. Since I have known you, you have rocked a human, 170+ year old vampire (points at himself), a werewolf, a 1,000+ year old Original Hybrid to their cores, with the utmost respect, Caroline, you didn't even understand or know what love or loving those men was about. My brother, he is your true love, with him, you had learned what love was, you had lived, lost, learned, you were capable of understanding what loving met, how truly loving someone felt, both the good and the bad. You fell in love with him when he was a vampire, it didn't matter that he became a human, and now, his destiny has changed again, your love for him has grown. You love my brother, the witch in every way you loved Stefan the vampire and the human. Today, in more ways, your love has made him more of the person, of the man he was always destined to be, and I couldn't be happier for him or you."

Damon pauses, he knows that what he is about to share is something that he can feel because of the magic that he shares with his brother. Now that Caroline is his sister, logically, it isn't breaking any brother code to tell her, "Caroline, this brother bond I share with Stef, in the beginning, when we didn't understand any of it, and the bond was completely open. He and I, well, we could feel things, things that each other felt. Most of it was about what we truly felt for each other. Sometimes, I could feel how he felt about you. The way you make him complete, blissful, at peace and above everything loved. So like I said, yes Caroline, I have total confidence that you have shaken my brother to his core, rocked his world like NO other has or can, and I couldn't be happier." Caroline is completely speechless.

Damon decides to say one more thing before the opportunity is lost forever, "Just for the record, I'm only going to say this once because in just a few minutes the idea of you even being on this list is going to be GROSS…. But you, Caroline Forbes, are on my top 5 lovers list. In case you don't remember, you were still a human back then."

Caroline whispers "Damon, I don't know whether to slap your face or kiss you. God, you are infuriating, I guess just like a brother should be. And just for the record, back then, you always took care of the job for me, quite well, as if you didn't already know." Damon tries to keep a straight face, "Common on Sis, let's get on with this." Caroline ponders a moment, "Hmmm…Rocked them to the core, you really think so."

Damon responds immediately "KNOW so, Caroline Forbes Salvatore." Caroline blushes with female pride. "Ok, let's get this bonding thing done with, there is a core that needs some rocking." Damon laughs "That's the sister I know and love"

Damon takes the bowl from the altar and fills it with the earth. He ground up flower petals and botanical oils, then mixes the ingredients into a paste, Caroline is watching everything Damon is doing. She smiles, "That isn't enough to cover me completely, I guess no fantasy fulfillments today." Damon answers with amusement in his voice, "I will die never knowing." Caroline laughs "Note to self, Damon's funeral wishes "Female mud wrestling" Damon grins but is serious, "I never realized how cool a sister could be. Caroline, for this to work, really work, you have to be sure, it has to be true. This is about complete trust and love Caroline, siblings know that they have each other's back no matter what, even when they disagree and fight. You have to know in your heart that my love for you is real, that I will be there for you, love you, fight for you, protect you, all the bad from the past is over, it isn't real any more, it isn't part of who we are any more. Can that be real and true for us from today to forever?"

Caroline turns to him, "Damon, no more words, what do we do next? It has been our reality for a while now and it will continue to be real and true for all the remainder of our days to come." Damon holds out his hand and Caroline puts her hand in his, he places her hand into the bowl, "I'm going to take my shirt off, when I do, you have to place your hand over my heart, close your eyes and say 'brother of my heart, you have to keep saying it until you stop hearing my voice, ok?"

Caroline "Yes, anything else" Damon continues, "The wind will be blowing, your hair might get a little messy, want me to make sure a few leaves get into it, for Stefan's benefit?" Damon adds with a wink. Caroline smiles and a shoulder shrug "If they happen to land, I won't be upset." Damon takes off his shirt, stretches his arms and the winds swirl around them, Caroline removes her hand covered in the earthen paste from the altar bowl and places it over Damon's heart. Damon begins to chant Sister of my heart, Caroline follows "Brother of my heart" The winds swirl, the paste pulses between their skin. Caroline feels the energy being exchanged, she can see the memories of her and Damon moving into his heart, being drawn into his heart, she corrects herself, the memories of him saving her from the werewolves, pulling Elena off of her, stopping Lily from hurting her, all those memories were being drawn into his heart. Next came memories of her and Stefan relaxing, just sitting next to each other, talking, laughing, smiling, memories of her and Elena, laughing, hugging, loving each other. Caroline realized the wind was dying down, slowing to a breeze, she was still chanting "Brother of my heart" she didn't stop, she could still see memories of her bright and clear. Damon's voice was slowing, the wind was calming, the images were beginning to fade. Damon's voice hushed, she stopped, but did not open her eyes, she stayed in Damon's mind, his thoughts were still on her and Stefan, on their happiness, their joy, their love. Damon was truly and completely happy for them, his heart felt the purest of joy to see his brother in love with her. She couldn't help but linger in his thoughts for that moment.

Damon turn "Care, are you ok?" Caroline opened her eyes, and tears ran down her cheeks "Yes, I'm wonderful. I never truly felt what is was like to have a brother, and for the first time, it is just so overwhelming. Damon, this is.. I'm just so... Damon" She jumps into his arms, Damon wraps his arms around her, the need to comfort and protect her is overwhelming. He can feel her trembling in his arms, "Shh, Care, it's ok. You're a vampire, this is all raw emotion right now. You have Stefan and my magic inside of you, and all of it is coming from our love of you, you being a vampire is heightening it all. It's going to be ok, Stef & Elena are on their way, we are all here for you."

Stef and Elena arrive just as Damon finishes saying the words. Stefan "Hey, Honey, it's ok, you are just feeling all the love that we have for you, it's a very very good thing." Caroline lets go of Damon and collapse in Stefan's arm, he picks her up and holds her tight. Elena understands everything as she sees her best friend, "This was very emotional for me, being a vampire can't be helping." Elena adds as she goes to Damon. Damon asks Elena has he takes her into his arms, "how are you doing?" Elena settling into his embrace, "I'm faring better the Caroline at the moment, Stefan's t-shirt got the brunt of the waterworks a little bit ago." Elena pauses "I will admit, you guys were right, it didn't hurt. But geez a little warning on the amount of love emotion that was going to be flowing our way would have been nice." Damon flicked his wrist and waved his arm, he created a little grassy meadow surrounded by flowering green shrubs "Stef, take her in there for a while, she needs some you and her alone time. Elena and I will meet you back at the house." Stefan nods as he lifts Caroline into his arms bridal style and takes her into the clearing.

Caroline looks up at Stefan, "Damon's feelings they are so intense. I'm so sorry, I just can't handle them. I didn't realize that he felt like that. He.. for you… for me… for us… he feels… Stefan… He feels so much. Elena always told me that Damon doesn't show how much he cares. Stefan, she is so right. He never has, he doesn't. He always cared, about all of us, he didn't know how to let anyone in, not until Elena showed him how." Caroline's hand flew up to her mouth. "Oh my God, I tried to ruin them. I did everything I could to change her mind. Every chance I got, I said bad things about Damon. I could have destroyed Damon's life." She turned into his chest and the waterworks began again. Stefan used to Caroline's flare for the dramatics, this emotional drama was getting a little bit much. Stefan realized it was time to change the narrative.

With the flick of his wrist, Stefan created dozens of baseball sized fireballs that floated around them. He concentrated so the waterfall at the temple would create sounds that stage his next strategy. Caroline's head leaned up slightly, she looked above to see where the glow was coming from. Stefan gazed into her bloodshot eyes, "There's my beautiful lady. I was wondering if she was going to come up for a breath." He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth, gently at first, just brushing his lips back and forth across hers. Caroline's body moved next, it straightened up higher, her shoulders took shape, her chest faced him, Stefan knew that his strategy was working. He moved his hand from holding her around the waist to gripping her hips and pulling her closer. Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her body closer to his, pressing into him, letting him know with no maybes that she was not crying anymore. Her emotions were still high, her eyes were the area of her body that was getting wet. He slowly lowered her to the ground, resting on his elbow, careful not to release her lips from his. Stefan wanted to touch every part of her body, this body that was his forever, he lifted his head.

Stefan took a deep breath, the sight he saw, there was Caroline laying on the green lushes grass, with her blonde hair spilt out, spanning out around her head like a golden fan, her blue eyes filled with passion, he had put there, just by kissing her. The thought of kissing her made him do it again. He dip his head to her, took her lips possessively and completely, running his tongue over the bottom lip letting her know he wanted to claim all of her mouth. She opened, given him what he wanted, what she wanted, exploring each other's passions. Her hands press into his shoulder, pushing it down, with one swift action she is straddling his hips, Stefan looks up at his wife, the bloodshot eyes of earlier have been replaced with pure passion, his blonde goddess of a wife was completely vamp'd. Stefan wasn't sure if he had ever seen such an amazing sexual sight in his existence. He took her head it his hands and pulled it to his face, there was no amount of space between them. His hands quickly went to her shirt, pulling it off, allowing his lips to leave hers for only the few moments that were required to get it out of his way. Her bra was next, he unclasped the back and let the shoulder straps fall to expose her breasts, only then did his lips leave hers. His mouth travelled down her neck, licking and sucking his way to where his hands were touching, holding, caressing. Caroline's head leaned back exposing her neck, his eyes following the luscious feminine line she was creating, as his mouth found one of her hardened nipples. She let out a passionate moan that made his jeans tighten in a painful way.

Stefan pulled away from Caroline. This action surprised her immensely. Stefan stands up and demands "Get up and take the rest of your clothes off." As Stefan takes off his shirt, Caroline looks at him, she stands up slowly, not sure how to respond, this isn't a normal Stefan action. He has never been demanding like this. Stefan looks at her as he unbuttons his jeans "Do you need help? What is taking so long? Take off your DAMN clothes!"

Caroline smirks and puts some vamp into it, and within 3 seconds is standing completely naked, hands on her hips in front of him "Is this what you wanted!"

Stefan pulls off his pants, reaches for her "YES" pulls her into his arms, his mouth goes directly to the place where it left. His hands cup her buttocks, nestling her into his erection. He slides one of his hands to her lower thigh, lifting up her leg to wrap it around his hip, she can feel his cock slide in between her legs as he uses his other hand to pull her closer.

Stefan's head comes up to her ear, "You are so beautiful, I have no control around you." Caroline answers back, "I don't want you to have control." He takes that literally, he leans away from her slightly and points to the ground. She sits down, he follows her down. He puts one hand on her chest and guides her to lay down, it travels down her stomach and circled her navel, she inhales sharply. Stefan's hand doesn't stop, it continues to roam her body farther down, sliding down to the junction of her heat. With no hesitation, he plunges 3 fingers into her, she gasps in pleasure. He knew she was wet and ready for him. With his other hand, he grabs her inner thigh and spreads her wider, he wants to see all of her. The sounds coming from Caroline are only fueling his actions. Stefan leans down and blows on her clit, Caroline sit straight up, "Oh MY GOD" as his mouth begins to gently suckle. She is over the edge, her body begins to spasms on his fingers with each thrust, he won't stop, he makes her fall continue until her moan turns to pleads. Caroline pleading "Stefan… Stefan… OH... Stefan…" She is breathless, he slows the thrusting, weakens the suckling, allowing her to come down gently. He pulls his fingers out and lowers his tongue to lick up all her juices, to taste all that he caused. She is purring, he is gentle and soothing, he adds a bit playfulness. He laps the tip of his tongue around the outside, darting inside of where the core center of her heat begins again. Tasting her silkiness is a drug to him, it reminds him of his Ripper days, the more of her desire, her heat, he tasted, the more he wants, he pushes that thought to the back of his mind, 'I'm between my wife's golden thighs, I'm not going to think about anything but this' his focused all of his attention on what was directly in front of his mouth and how sweet it is.

Caroline's heartbeat is pounding she can barely hear the sounds of Stefan's breath. She can't keep a single thought in her mind, all she can do is feel everything that her husband is doing to her body. And he does not seem to be stopping anytime soon. Every nerve ending in her body was vibrating. His mouth was attacking every sensitive spot she had over and over, she wasn't sure how much more she could take. She reaches down to put her hands onto Stefan's head, the feel of his head matching movements she was feeling in her deepest core just grew the exoticness of the moment. She opened her eyes to look up at the floating flames and the stars above, "AHHH" a loud moan comes out of her throat as her back arches, Stefan has just taken her clit into his mouth before returning his lips and tongue to taste every part of her. She is about to go over the edge again, breathing hard Caroline pulls on his hair, "Stefan.." He looks up at her eyes, the look she is giving him, is telling him everything he needs to know. He lifts to his knees and hovers up her body, making sure to graze his skin just barely over her skin as much as possible. Every hair follicle on Caroline's body is standing up, every nerve ending of every skin cell is jumping. Stefan knows exactly what he is doing, being a vampire for 150 years is a sexual edge that he will never stop using for her pleasure, the added physical heat of the human blood that flowed through his veins from his heightened sexual desire, he knew Caroline was just about out of control, just the way he liked her, right on the edge. He found her eyes, and they were exactly what he expected, vamp'd and wanting. He felt the heat at his groin, her wetness, there was no need to wait, he sank himself deep inside quickly and fully. Caroline moaned in pure ecstasy, she sat up to meet him, he pushed her back down, "No you don't, I'm the one that gets to watch you go over the edge this time." He proves his point, by taking her arms into his hands for a bit more leverage to create a pace that allows him to thrust into her, hitting every sweet spot that could only be called a personal dance, Steroline Tango.

Damn human tolerance, he was getting close, every moment she tightens around his cock, tighter and tighter, the closer he got to his own climax. He knew she was there with her moans, her eyes, her smell, her lips. He leaned down to her breast and took her nipple in his mouth, with a gentle tug, he rolled his teeth over the sensitive bud, the sound she made drove him mad. He switched to the other nipple, and repeated, this time he tugged with a bit more force, and bit with a little more grip, out of her mouth "Ahhh, STEFFANNNN…" he felt a tight grip around his cock, gripping him, that was more then he could handle with a deep exhale, her spasms milk him over and over as he continues their dance at a much slower pace. He lowers his body onto hers, knowing his weight doesn't bother her. Both lay there wrapped in each other's arms for a long moment without any words, just the bond with emotions flowing back and forth. It is comforting, safe and full of love.

Stefan opened his eyes, the glow of the fire flames were surrounding them, close enough to provide warmth without any concern of harm. He and Caroline had fallen asleep, the moon was directly over them, and they had been out for a few hours. Sometime during that time he had repositioned them, she was still in his arms, now she was on top of him, her hair spilt over his neck and shoulder, and he was still firmly implanted inside her. Thoughts of her body on his, his cock inside her sent his blood racing to that place, well, that place. He smiled, he was never going to get enough of this woman that he was bound to for the rest of his breathing life. Caroline felt his heartbeat change, "You are thinking about me. I can feel you." Stefan chuckled, "Of course you can, I'm still inside you." Caroline to comfortable to smack him, "That isn't what I meant, and you know it. Our bond, I could feel that you are thinking good, forever love type of thoughts." Stefan tightens his arm around her, "Yes, I was thinking about how much I love you, and how I can get enough of you for the rest of my life."

Caroline moves off of his and lays to his side, Stefan pouts "Honey, where are you going?" Caroline sits up "This was amazing. Damon was right, everything so overwhelming, I did need to be alone with you, and this. I want to go home now. We need to be home. We need to see the girls. Our life, Stefan, our life isn't just being a vampire and a witch, it isn't just fighting the fight of good vs evil. We are a family, we have a marriage and children that we have to protect and raise to continue the fight after we are gone." Caroline stood up in all her naked glory, "So we need to go home, make breakfast, talk to our family, strategize and do all the things that we need to do for the fight. Than we need to go up to our room and continue this, because this, my husband is worth fighting for, this is why we will win, for the rest of our lives." Caroline went in search for their clothes. In his mind, Stefan couldn't come up with a single argument for rebuttal, his wife was right, as much as his body and cock ached for him to make a point, just one single point to justify bringing her back to him, so they could make love again, Caroline Forbes Salvatore was right, damn her for always being logical, and right. For now, his only choice was a cold pond. Stefan stood up and headed to the pond, he looked down at himself, and knew he would have to use quite a bit of his power to cool the pond enough to affect his state of arousal. This was definitely not going to be fun.


	13. Chapter 13 - Mission Begins-Evil is Felt

Chapter 13 - Mission begins, Evil is felt

Elena confused, "How are we going to get back to the house? We only brought one car?" Damon arrogantly states, "Are you forgetting I'm a powerful witch/warlock... A magical person now... Hold on Ms. Gilbert, we are going to ride the wind." Damon grabs a hold of Elena, says a few words in ancient Greek, raises his hand and they disappear in a vortex of wind.

A few moments later, they are on the ground in front of the boarding house. Elena's eyes are tightly closed, Damon looks down at her, "Open your eyes, scaredy-cat, we are home." Elena opens her eyes, the look changes from concern to amazement, "How did we get here so fast? Damon, what happened? Woww. You really did that." Damon sounding quite arrogant, "Pretty cool, I think I impressed you, now that you are bonded with Stefan, we can channel each other's power from anywhere. That means I can bring you with me without exhausting all my magical energy. With Stefan and Caroline at the Temple, it's like I'm directly hooked up to a battery." He takes her hand and leads them to the front door.

They walk into the house and find Enzo and Bonnie getting hot and heavy on the couch. Damon laughed "Just passing through to the kitchen, starting dinner, not going to be back in this room for at least an hour or so." Damon and Elena giggle as they walk through and hear Bonnie talking through Enzo's kisses "I could use a little food, food is good for passion. We haven't eaten in quite a while. Ok, maybe in 20 more minutes."

In the kitchen, Damon is getting items out of the refrigerator, knife and cut boards ready. Elena sitting an island stool, "Stefan was telling me about how you can feel evil now. What did he mean by that?" Damon ponders the answer for a moment, "Feel is a strong word. Our magic is about balance, because of the elements powering us when something is out of balance, we can sense it stronger, than when it is in balance. I think the concept is when evil is stronger or getting stronger, that is when we know there is something we have to find and fight, to put it back in balance."

Elena sitting at the table watching Damon prepping the family meal, "The brother bond, can you sense if Stefan and Caroline are ok or where they are?" Damon answers, "Not really, I can just sense they are not in pain or in danger. It would be weird if I could feel what they were feeling. Think about it, I wouldn't want them to be able to feel what we felt all the time. Seriously, do you really want Stefan to feel all my feelings for you when I'm having them?" Elena blushed "ok, you have a point, I didn't think of those moments… What are we having for dinner?" Damon seductively, "Why don't you come help me? I will teach you a few things too." Elena "I like sitting here watching, the only thing missing is a glass of wine. Speaking of which, why can't I have alcohol yet?" Damon "Mostly, because Stefan and I weren't sure what would happen with the ritual side effects and your human tolerance factors. We didn't want to take any risks would affect the blocking rituals from working completely. I guess there isn't really a reason now. Honestly, I'd rather you not until we get you to a human doctor, for a full check-up. Your human body has been a vampire and in a magical coma then back to being human, I'd like you to see if there are any hidden human issues before we start adding things we know aren't good for the human body. If you haven't noticed, I've been off the hourly bourbon. I figure, if we are human, we should be the best human possible, which includes the best human fuel." Elena "No booze, geez, if I would have known, I might have decided against taking the cure." She laughed as she walks over to him "Where do I help?" Damon "Come here, let me show you how to stir my sauce." Elena almost falls over laughing, "I'm never ever going to stir your sauce in a pot in a kitchen. EVER. Mr Salvatore. SO don't get any kinky ideas." Looking back at her was her favorite classic Damon sexy eyes with just the right amount of arched brow to make her melt, "Why Ms Gilbert, you have a filthy mind, I was talking about the Ziti sauce. What sauce were you talking about EXACTLY? And can I show you .. dot .. dot … dot."

An hour later, smells coming from the kitchen are too distracting for Bonnie and Enzo, they finally give up on their passionate foreplay, and open the kitchen door. "Damon, you made Salvatore Ziti, didn't you? Oh man, I haven't had this since 1994." Stefan and Caroline walk "When?" Damon "Gemini Prison world" Stefan "Ohh, smells good." Elena "Everyone sit, tables set. Bread is almost out of the oven." Damon "Careful everyone, Elena made the garlic bread, first time, you never know how it will taste" Elena throws the oven mitt at Damon "Be nice, Mr. Salvatore, or you will be sleeping on the couch tonight." Stefan and Enzo made noises, Caroline and Bonnie give them elbows to the side. Elena pulls a blood bag from the refrigerator, and two glasses from the cabinet fills both glasses with blood, hands one glass to Bonnie and the other to Caroline. Bonnie adds a few drops of her blood to the glass, and then hands it to Enzo, she can see how much he hates that she has to hurt herself for him to survive.

Elena notices the exchange, "Bonnie, I've been thinking about the Bennett Blood problem. I did a little research on the medical school website. I was thinking of frozen platelets. Most of our human tissues are actually alive because of the platelets, not the actual red stuff. Platelets freeze easier, longer, and better than blood does. I was thinking, if we took some of your blood and had the platelets removed, froze them, then added the frozen platelet to Enzo's blood, see if that would work." Bonnie appreciates the distraction, "We should look into that, I know this bothers Enzo, but it really doesn't bother me." Enzo contradicts her, "Love, it's just that, I don't like you being a pincushion, twice a day every day. If truth be told, you blood taste amazing. I hate seeing that one moment of ouch that goes across your face. If there was a way to get rid of that, I could live with this." Elena confidently states, "Enzo, soon, I'll be back in medical school and we will come up with a solution. Can you hold on for that long?" Enzo concedes, "I'm not ever giving up, I've got Bonnie back in my arms. Perish the thought of giving up." The oven dings on Enzo decree of fact, everyone gets a good chuckle and that begins dinner.

After dinner, the ladies were lounging in the Grand room in front of the fireplace. The men had kicked them out of the kitchen because their laughter was distracting the cleanup efforts. Bonnie amused "We are going to have to remember that trick, I don't mind getting out of dish duty." Caroline puts the topper onto the decanter of vodka, grabs her glass, "I feel so guilty, Ric has the girls at the Armory. I'm a woman of complete luxury. I should be worried about something, I just can't get my head into it right now." Elena gazing into the fire, "I've always loved when our life is like this. It is a bit of déjà vu. I said those words moments before Silas walked through the front door. At the moment, I'm not sure whether to be worried or amused, since all that power plus more is in the other room washing dishes." The women look at one another, each of them remembering the personal journey that the Silas dramas lead them down.

Elena didn't want to think about losing Jeremy and her humanity, Damon, ect, so she changes the subject, "Care, when do you expect Ric and the twins to come home?" Caroline very happy to end the memories trail she was on, "Oh, he text just after we finished dinner, they should be walking through the door anytime. He mentioned he found something in the new cave. He wasn't sure that it was related to the Brothers' magic. At the moment anything he finds interesting he is sharing." Bonnie sits up, "I agree, any time I find something in a grimoire, Damon and Stefan also study it." Bonnie pauses wondering whether or not to share more, not wanting to concern or scare her friends. Elena continues "This upcoming evil, fight or whatever this new destiny is, it just doesn't feel like a war or overwhelming. I'm not sure how to explain it, we have been through so much already. All the battles that we faced, some we won, some we didn't, some I'm not sure what exactly happened. This is different, I feel like it is something that is a new way of life that we can live through and still live. Not just survive, yes, we have to plan, be smart, take precautions and train. We are together, bonded, all of us are as we should be and protecting each other. I must sound like a crazy person, all I can say is I'm not scared, I'm quite confident. I remember when Matt decided to join the Police Academy, the way he talked about it. When I asked him about all the risks, he was confident about being able to live with the risks and protect himself with training and armor."

Caroline added "And us, I told him that whether he liked it or not I was going to be around to protect him. He wasn't happy." In her best Sheriff Matthew Donovan voice "Caroline, I will be a Deputy Sheriff, trained and armed with the best weapons available, I will not need a vampire to protect me, it is my job to protect the community from your kind." Caroline huffed, "God, he can be such a dumb ass sometimes.. MEN!"

Ric walks in the door with the twins "Did I hear my name?" Elena and Bonnie break out in laughter. The twins run to their mother, Caroline opens her arms, "Girls, how was your day?" Lizzie starts talking "We got to play in the dirt with Daddy. Josie found a secret magic cave for daddy. He was so excited he almost pissed his pants." Caroline shocked at her choice of words, "Lizzie! Honey, who uses that word piss around you?" Lizzie answers "Uncle D says that all the time when he is talking to the air." Caroline trying to keep calm, "Honey, sometimes Uncle Damon uses words that aren't for little girls, they aren't even for adults. Daddy is going to remind Uncle D that his Nieces remember EVERY word that comes out of his mouth. And that he should be appropriate about his vocabulary choices." Ric heads out of the room as fast as he can, Caroline is about to question Josie, he would rather not be around.

Ric finds the guys just hanging out in the kitchen, "So are you hiding out, male bonding or is this a strategic planning session?" Enzo answers "The correct answer would be all of the above, we were cleaning from dinner, we finished I heard Elena talking about the Silas drama, Stefan didn't want to join that conversation, so we got the Bourbon out, then you arrived. We decided staying in here was the best option." Stefan took a swig, "Take a look at us, we are being intimidated by 3 women, our women, who love us. Seriously, Caroline isn't upset with me, she is upset with Damon. I have nothing to be concerned about. Damon, Elena isn't upset with you. She is thinking about me and the Silas drama. Bonnie isn't worried about Enzo, she has Brother magic on her mind."

Damon looks at his brother with the most exasperating smirk, "Seriously, you can't really think it is that easy. You have been alive for 167 years, and you still don't understand women. If we go out there, here is how it is going to go down; you and Caroline will go your bedroom, for the next few hours, all you are going to hear is how your brother can't respect or understand that your stepdaughters should not be hear words that are for children of a tender age of 4. YOUR brother – mind you she will put emphases on that, every chance she gets." Enzo and Ric nod their heads in agreement. Damon continues, "And you, my brother will be put between a rock and the cliff, because you will have to agree with her, because if you don't, you will be agreeing with me, that I was in the right, even if you say "I'm not going to get involved."

Enzo takes over, "Yep, Bonnie and Elena will bring it up as well. Damon has it just as bad, even if he says he is sorry and he will watch what he says in the future. Elena is going to bring up Silas. She wants to talk about the future and what this future evil or fight or war could be, of which, NONE of us know or understand. There is nothing that Damon can say that will give her an idea on how to put an identification mark on it so she can file it away as 'check' done I understand what I need to do to prepare, plan and move on with our lives."

Ric decides it is his turn, "Bonnie is the witch, she is the one that is supposed to have all the answers, she always has. She is the one that everyone has counted on to save the day. She is lost, this is so far above her magic to understand and power, she feels powerless. Enzo being a vampire can't understand anything she is going through the minute he opens his mouth to even provide a word of comfort can set her off. See Stefan, right now, your Women are providing a very delicate balance of support and comfort to each other, introducing any sort of Testosterone is a BIG huge no no. All it will accomplish is, well all of you will be sleeping on the couches downstairs." Ric, Enzo and Damon clink their bourbon glasses and nod their heads in agreement.

Back in the Grand Room, Bonnie laughs after Caroline is finished venting, "Damon will just be Damon. You have to give him some credit for constancy." The women go silent for a moment, they sit watching the twins play with their dolls. Caroline breaks the silence, "I remember us playing like this." Elena agrees "Me too, remember, Tina, Bonnie you gave Tina a haircut." Bonnie laughs "I remember, your Mom was so upset, she just got you that doll."

Josie was listening "Auntie BeeBee, why didn't you just make Tina hair longer with your magic?" Bonnie thought that was the sweetest thing she had heard in a very long time. She opened her arms, and Josie came to her, "Well, I wasn't born as special as you were my little witch sister. My powers didn't wake up into I was older, much older then you are right now." Josie's eyes opened wide, "Really, you didn't have them when you were born. Mommy said Lizzie and I had our powers in her tummy." Bonnie agreed "Yes, you did and nope, I did not. I didn't get my powers until I was in High School. Mommy, Auntie E and I were almost adults when mine woke up." The twins just stared at Auntie BeeBee with amazement, they simply couldn't comprehend her not being a witch. Caroline watched her daughters with a smile on her face, she knew no matter what they had a magical mentor to protect them and guide them, someone they could always look up to.

The guys moved the male bonding outside to the back patio. Stefan flamed the firepits and Damon warmed the evening breeze, there were advantages to being witches, they were going to enjoy it. Ric was the last one out, "It seems like it is going to be one of these nights." He raises two bourbon bottles. All the men raise their glasses in the air.

Enzo leans over his chair arm to push Damon's arm, "Ok my friend, out with it. You have been pondering some thoughts for the last 10 minutes. Both Stefan and Ric have said a few remarks that warranted a classic Damon sarcastic one-liners and you didn't pounce. So spill." Damon took a drink, "I've been thinking about what Elena said. She has a point. Things have changed, we have a new life now. There is a 'calling, new destiny, we are going to be fighting, battling. There are questions that I have no answers for. I'm not a vampire anymore. I can't just pick her up and speed her out of the way. I can't put my body in front of her and take a speeding arrow to protect her human body. All the instincts that I've developed in the past 150 years of fighting danger as a vampire are now a complete danger to Elena, myself and everyone else. My instincts are deadly. I'm an old dog and I need new tricks."

Ric is in the middle of a swallow, he coughs in mid-laugh, "I never ever thought I'd live to hear the day Damon Salvatore would question his instincts, his actions. Woww." Damon sarcasm "Dude, you've died a few times." Everyone laughs. Stefan recovering, "Brother you have a point. I've been struggling with this myself." Ric amused, "Geez, guys, human here. I was alive for a long time. Damon, I only died when you killed me because I trusted you as my friend, dick, and you killed me. Actual enemies never killed me. Sheriff Donovan, again human, again, only died because of friends, enemies never killed him. If I can prove a point here, I trained Elena, she took on Ripper Stefan and if it weren't for Rebecca, Elena won. I trained Jeremy, who took on Kol and won. I took on a lot of vampires and won. SO my point is... Training… Training .. Training.. You aren't defenceless. Elena, Bonnie and Caroline aren't defenceless, neither are you. Damon, you were going to be human with Elena before, what did you plan to keep you two safe from supernaturals then? "

Damon ponders, "Back then it was easy, Bonnie was going to put a magic blocking charm on our wedding rings. She and I had it all worked out. She had already put a barrier on the building I bought. If we were found, our rings would keep us personally undetectable, so we could move freely. We'd keep moving. I bought a dozen more locations to have on standby and our future years, for family use, ageing, etc."

Stefan impressed, "Woww, you really did have everything planned out. I knew you were serious. I just didn't know how thoroughly you had prepared." Damon looked at Stefan, "Stef, really, I did anything to protecting Elena since day one. You really think that I was going to leave anything to chance, with Klaus still at large, who knows who from my past. Too many unknowns, I had to protect us from every supernatural being. Even if it meant not being able to see you without Bonnie's help."

Stefan agrees, "Brother, still impressed. Back to your immediate worry. Elena, I know you don't and won't. So I'm only saying this out loud for reference sake. Don't underestimate her. She can take care of herself. Tell her what the concerns are, she will train alongside us. Honestly, she will train harder, we will look like senior citizens compared to her."

Ric laughs "You are old Goats compared to her. She is strong, both mind and body. She is stronger than all of us. Awake or Asleep, she is the one that kept us together, she saved each and every one of us. We don't underestimate Elena Gilbert ..ever…" Enzo agrees, "She gets my vote."

Stefan takes the lead, "So it is agreed, we start training, defensive and offensive physical training, all of us. I want Caroline included. I know she is a vampire, she has the twins to protect too. Ric, what do you think about including the twins in this ?"

Ric thinks, "I think that they should be exposed, they should learn the difference between a weapon and a toy. They should watch, practice with their magic when they can. So yes, let's include them. Getting Caroline to agree, that is going to be another issue."

Damon remarks, "Let me work on my sister in law, she isn't as upset with me as she is pretending to be. She watches me let the girls siphon my magic in the yard and play all the time. She doesn't say a word. She actually smiles at the window. When I look towards the window, she pretends to not notice, so she doesn't have to protest."

Ric smiles, "I love your confidence my friend. I don't agree with it. I do like that you have it."

Enzo announces, "Caroline just took the girls up to bed. Bonnie told Elena she is heading upstairs and Elena said she was going to wait for Damon to come inside, if she fell asleep he would make sure she got upstairs. Gentlemen, I think we have our cue, the coast is clear for re-entry. I, hereby call this Male Bonding Meeting to a close. Good night." Enzo gets up and heads to the back door.

Ric grabs the empty bottle, "Definitely not like the old days, we would have gone through 4 or more of these, barely finished one. Being human is going to lower the booze budget. We can talk about a training schedule tomorrow. Good night Buddy." He slaps Damon's shoulder on the way towards the door.

It's just Damon and Stefan left. Stefan takes the bottle of Bourbon, he opens it, "We aren't that pathetic as humans." He pours a healthy shot into each of their glasses. He clinks Damon's glass, they both take a swig. Damon starts talking, "I never wanted her to ever have to fight again as a human. That is what I wanted for us, for her. Peace, she could be a doctor. After all that drama we caused her, all the loss in her young life. I wanted the rest of her life to be peaceful, happy and she would not have to fight anymore. That was what the charms were for, what the barrier spells, the back locations. No more fighting, no more fear of loss. One of the thoughts when I saw you holding Katherine in the tunnel was 'how am I going to tell Elena that Stefan is gone?' Another loss that she would have to feel, she doesn't deserve more loss in her life." Damon pauses to take another swig of bourbon, "Now we are destiny to spend the rest of our lives as the Element Brother Witches bringing all magical communities back together or whatever balance means. Stef, you and I both know what evil feels like, how selfish it is, how good it feels in the moment and how you don't think of the bigger picture. Evil can't be reasoned with, it has to be destroyed, that means a fight. You and I will have to wage war with something, someone, Elena and Caroline will be brought into it somehow."

Stefan gulps the rest of his drink and pours another, "I know, I was listening to Demetrius when he was talking about you and I passing the test of endurance and earning our place in this destiny. Damon, you and I, we didn't earn this by ourselves. We earned it because of Elena to start with, she saved me, she changed you. Caroline changed me, Caroline saved you. Face it without them, we don't have a destiny. That has to mean they are up for this challenge, it is their destiny too." Damon stares at his brother, "Little brother, when the hell did you get so smart?" Stefan sarcastically "I was about 125 years old. You were in Paris at the time." Damon responds "Dick" They clink glasses and enjoy another mouthful of the amber liquid while looking up at the stars.

A few moments later, Damon ends the silence, "Ok, we end up fighting, our magic will work some of the time. Physical combat will be involved, we have human strength now. We need more than that to survive, let alone win, we need weapons, we need to know how to use them and be good at it. Once upon a time, I was quite good with a blade, back in my soldier days. Father was so sure I was going to be an officer, all that sword training. Never did use any of it, while I was actually in the confederacy. Although, I kept up my skills until the late 30's when I left Paris. It came in handy during a couple of duels. Stories for another time. The point being, I don't think it would take much for me to get back in shape. Sword fighting and blade throwing would be helpful in one on one combat. Which will make a difference if we can cast a spell to dampen magic as a whole."

Stefan added "Don't laugh again, I know you thought it was hilarious when I went through my Cowboy phase, I am really good as a sharpshooter. I'm as a fast draw, especially with a six-shooter. In archery, I think that between Ric, you and I, we can train everyone expertly. Ric has explosives. That really just leaves hand to hand combat, which you and Ric can cover well." Stefan looks at Damon, this conversation is supposed to make him feel better, more confident, he realizes that it isn't working. Stefan tries another technique, "Ok, brother, what do you think that Elena needs to learn to protect herself?"

That question snapped Damon out of his train of thought, it was specific, it isn't a general worry, a 'what if', it was an actual controllable action item that he could make happen. Damon turns to his brother, "You know little brother, you are pretty great to have around on occasion. We need to figure out how to have an early detection warning for her, Bonnie, oh hell all us humans. Emily spells Jonathan Gilberts watch/device thing. Why couldn't we do something like that but for any supernatural being? Stef, Bonnie, you and I, we could figure it out, we are halfway there with Emily's grimoire telling us how for vampires. We just need to add witches, sirens, devils, and anything else we can figure out."

Stefan agreed with little bit of comical airs to it, "It would be nice if we could make it a magical app that sends a text alert to everyone." Stefan pauses for a minute, "I wonder if we could enchant our cell phones, that would make things quite a bit easier. No one would suspect and it would alert everyone if there was danger and who was in danger."

Damon ponders "I really like that idea if we could figure some way to do that for cell phone. We could also protect the twins, they could go to preschool and playdates, sleepovers, they could grow up like normal kids." Damon stands up and stretches he takes a long look around the property, "This place we've called home for over 100 years, every vampire that we've called friend or enemy knows where the Salvatore Board House in Mystic Falls is located. Any one of them can walk straight up to the front door. We have to figure out a way of putting some sort of barrier on the property line. Some way of making it safe for the twins to play, for us to sit outside and have a drink without being on constant guard, we have a reason to protect everyone inside and outside now." He stretches again, "I'm going to turn in, my human stamina isn't holding up to the bourbon." Stefan nods, "I hate to agree with you, I'm ready to climb in next to Caroline." He stands and heads inside with his brother.

Inside, Stefan puts his hand on his brother's shoulder silently, as he walks by toward the staircase. Damon mouths 'Good night', Stefan nods in return. The silent exchange is for the benefit of a sleeping Elena, who is cuddled up on the couch in front of the crackling ambers filled fireplace. Damon walks over to the couch, leans down, sides his arms under her body, "Time for bed, up you go." He lifts her bridal style into his arms. Elena doesn't open her eyes, "I'm so tired, did you enjoy your guy time?" Damon whispers, "Sshh, We had a wonderful time. No reason for you to wake up. This time I get to take care of you completely. Sshh, go back to sleep." Elena moans low in her throat, leans into his shoulder. Damon takes a deep breath, he feels their bond, she is resting, did she have to moan, and she knows what that does to him, to his groin. He keeps climbing stairs. Goddess, help him, his woman was going to be the death of him, he didn't have THAT much self-control. Geezz, he had been the selfish vampire Damon Salvatore just months before. Elena shifted a bit in his arms, she tightened her hold around his neck, he felt the warmth of her breath on the most sensitive artery of his neck. He reaches for the bedroom doorknob, the door opens, within his sight is their big bed, he steps into the room and shuts the door gently with his foot.

The door makes a slight noise when shutting, just enough to wake Elena, as he lays her onto the bed, "Sshh, we are upstairs. All is fine." Damon says to her. Elena reaches for him, "You were out there a long time, is everything ok?" Damon leans down to kiss her lips, "Yes, Stef and I were just chatting, nothing exciting." Elena starts to sit up, "I'm so tired, today was busy, long and exhausting. I can't get over how exhausted I am. I am going to muster enough energy to get pajamas on and climb under these blankets in just a moment." Damon gives her a charming yet devilish grin, she knows he is up to something, she beats him to the words, "What are you thinking?" Damon replies, "I might have a deal for you. What if I do all the work for you tonight, I will undress you and put YOUR (putting the stress on the word YOUR) pajamas on tonight." Elena rolls a little towards him, "AND…" His eyes stare at her with sparkling passion, "In the morning, you take off my pajamas." Elena laughs and blushes, while thinking, Geez will this man ever stop doing this to me, I truly hope not. Her response was easy, she shut eyes, put her arms over her head for easier access, "You have yourself a deal, Mr. Salvatore."

Damon rolls over and feels cold sheets, not the warm body of Elena that he longs for. Still half asleep, he hears the shower running, he opens his eyes, rolls back over and looks at the clock, it is 6:30 am. He thinks 'What is she doing up so early? He remembers their deal from last night, wait for her to get out of the shower or join her, he smiles and says out loud "Who am I kidding?" kicks off the blankets, on the way to the bathroom, he drops his pajama pants to the floor. He sees the pajama top on the countertop, it was their routine ever since Elena went shopping for her new wardrobe. She had picked up some pajama's for him, figuring with all the people who were now living at the Salvatore house, pajama's would be a good idea, and Damon didn't own a pair. He wasn't a fan of wearing the shirt at all, he wasn't and that was that. She agreed, she actually likes the big comfy feel of the men's pajama shirt. After that she bought a few more pairs, took the shirt for her side of the closet and put the bottoms on his side. Damon felt a bit of male pride seeing her wear his shirt every night, not to mention it was extra roomy when he wanted to feel any of her body, for any reason. Back to the task at hand, Damon lingered for a moment on the outline he could see through the steamed glass window of the shower.

He watched her use the sea sponge to spread the suds all over her skin. His desire got the best of him, walked into the shower, straight to her, and took her head in his hands, kissed her mouth, opening his mouth over hers, letting her know what he wanted, she spread her lips, his tongue swept in, dueling with hers. Elena's arm wrapped around his neck, her fingers entwined his hair, her leg slide up his outer thigh and rested on his hip. Damon's hand grabbed her buttocks and lifted her off the ground, moving her against the cool granite wall, pressing her body against it with his. He let go of her mouth and lowered his to her throat, and even lower to her breast, taking one nipple at a time into his mouth, teasing and suckling until they were erect with needs of their own. Elena moaned with passion, her hips moved against him. "Damon!" He knew exactly what he was doing to her, he had no intention of stopping yet, there was more to taste, more to feed on. His hands move down to between her thighs, he inserted one finger into her moist heat, her legs went weak. Damon's teeth showed through his male prideful smile, she knew he got when he took her to the edge and held her there, not letting her go over, and not letting her calm down. It a little bit of the devilish Damon that still peeked through, she had no desire to complain, instead, she believed that two could play that game.

Without warning, Elena sank to her knees, Damon, unable to stop her, Elena had him, his hardness in her mouth, her hands on his hips and movements that gave Damon no other choice but to brace himself with his hands on the granite wall. Elena taking over this seduction was not what Damon had in mind, he was having a very hard time putting two thoughts together at the moment. Her sweet mouth was assaulting his manhood, and he couldn't be enjoying it more. Her hands moved to replace her mouth for a moment, he was ready and she knew it. "So you wanted to play, Sir. Be careful what you wish for, you may end up with more than you can handle." Damon took a deep breath, he reached down and lifted Elena by her shoulders, kissed her, turned her around to face the wall. He spread her legs, kissed her neck and entered her "I can handle you, as you can handle me, my love, my equal. Now come to me, because you are getting me now, right now" as he breathes heavily into her neck and thrusts into with all of his strength. She leans into her with her pulses, over and over as they wash over both of them. His arms are wrapped tightly around her waist. Elena's breath still uneven, "Don't let me go, I'm not sure my legs are working yet" Damon holding her tightly, "I'll never let you go, you have nothing to fear."

He slowly turns her around, to see her eyes, still holding her tight, they move until the water flows over them. Elena "That feels almost as good" Elena grabs her sea sponge, starts rubbing Damon with it, he turns around, he enjoys her using it on his back. And more essential showering tasks continue, about 10 minutes later, Elena is washed, conditioned from head to toe as is Damon. They are quite proud, no more hanky panky, or at least not to much continued. Damon questions as he hands her a towel and turns off the water, "What got you up and at them this morning so early?" Elena exiting the shower, "I was going to head over to Whitmore and see about registering for classes. I took a look, there is time for me to get started this semester. It is time for me to start living my life again." Damon getting a towel for himself and trying very hard to keep his voice casual, "Yes, I agree. Speaking of living life, what's next and college. Do you want to go back to college as Ms. Elena Gilbert or Mrs. Elena Salvatore?"

Elena stops brushing her hair and stares at him, "Did you just ask me to marry you?" Damon standing behind her at the mirror, "That did not sound like a proposal at all, especially not any type of marriage proposal that Damon Salvatore would make." He paused and gave her the most insulted look he could come up with, before continuing, "That was simply a question of what you would prefer to sign as your legal name as. Trust me Elena, when I propose marriage to you, you are not going to wonder if you are being proposed to."

Elena staring at him, "I don't understand, if you not asking me to marry you then why do you want to know if I want to be Mrs. Elena Salvatore or not, when I start school."

Damon smirking back at her, "Elena, it is very simple, I have been on this earth for almost 180 years, I have never proposed matrimony to anyone before, I have to admit I'm very much looking forward to this. I want you to look forward to it as much. I don't want it to be ill-timed. If you would like to finish medical school before we get married, I want to support you while you do. I will propose after you graduate. However, if you would like to be married before you go to medical school, then obviously, I will start my preparations sooner rather than later." Damon turns Elena to face him, he takes her by the shoulders, with a very clear and determined tone, "In case there are any doubts, Mzz Gilbert, we have already pledged ourselves to each other, on multiple occasions, before you went to college, when you took the cure when I decided to take the cure, do I need to go on. The proposal is a formality that will end with you putting on a ring and me getting an official 'Yes'. The agreement has already happened." He turns walks to the dresser, picks out a t-shirts and boxers.

Elena blinks and follows him with her eyes, she has to smirk, that is her vampire Damon, his sassy attitude, still pompous with a dash of insecurity all masking his need for old fashion romantic traditions. She walks to him and puts her arms around his neck, her towel falls down, "Officially, I want to be Mrs. Elena Gilbert Salvatore as soon as humanly possible, Does that answer any questions you might have Mr. Damon Salvatore?" Damon's hands roam her backside, "Yes, ma'am." He lowers his mouth on to hers, the clothes he just picked fall back into the drawer and she is in his arms heading back to the bed. Elena speaks a bit louder than she knows she has too, "Caroline, I'm not going to be ready for another hour or so. Damon is hmmm working on something important… Oh Godd… Damon!" Elena stops speaking words and starts moaning.

Downstairs, breakfast has started Bonnie and Enzo are at the helm. Damon walks in and Enzo puts his hand up for a high 5, Damon slaps it. Bonnie knows something is going on, "What did my non-vamp ears miss." Damon grins, he isn't going to give anything away, this is Elena's story to tell her BFF, "Nothing you will not find about as soon as Elena comes downstairs. In the meantime, I need coffee and I have a million things to do." Damon grabs two coffee cups fills them and fixes them appropriately. He starts walking toward the door as Elena walks into the kitchen. He hands her a cup, kisses her on the mouth and walks out.

Elena puts her cup to her nose, then takes a sip, "Good morning, smells delicious." Bonnie confused, "What did you do to Damon this morning?" Elena spits out a little of her coffee back into the cup "Excuse me?" as she looks at Enzo, he shrugs his shoulders as he flips a pancake. Bonnie starts explaining, "You heard me, Damon came in saying he got a million things to do, slaps Enzo a high 5 and tells me you're going to spill the beans. So spill".

Elena takes another sip of coffee, joins her at the table, and she starts to re-tell the morning's event, "Damon asked me if I wanted to start college as Elena Gilbert or Elena Salvatore?" Bonnie stood up excited, "He proposed!" Elena explained, "NO .. NO.. He made sure to specify he has not and did not propose matrimony.. his words not mine."

Bonnie sat down, "Wait, I'm confused, he wanted to know if you want your name to be Gilbert or Salvatore when you go back to college, how is that not a proposal, how exactly does he think your name is going to change?" Elena looked at her and shrugged her shoulders, "Damon logic! Come on Bonnie, you have been around it long enough. When that man has a plan, the logic goes out the window. In his logic, knowing what I want my name to be gives him an idea of when I want to be proposed to. He is going to come up with some sort of plan. Knowing his romantic cockamamie brain, who knows what he will come up with?" Bonnie frustrated, "Well, what was your answer" Elena answers quickly, "Elena Gilbert Salvatore as soon as humanly possible." Bonnie laughs out loud "That just drove him nuts, bat shit crazy nuts."

Elena sounding quite proud of herself "I thought so myself. To change the subject, Caroline and I were heading to Whitmore College, then I wanted to do a bit of shopping today, would you like to join us." Caroline and Stefan walk in, Caroline "Join us where?" Bonnie answered, "Whitmore & shopping, Elena asked if I wanted to join us two. I would love too. I need some more shirts, Enzo hasn't got this new strength under control yet, when he feeds, and we, well, my shirt doesn't survive." Enzo shocked that Bonnie is sharing their intimate details publicly, "LOVE, our romantic events, well, they can stay in our bedroom." Caroline rolls her eyes at Enzo "I get it, Stefan needs more too, I'm doing the same thing, it's like the fabric is paper-thin, he could use some more boxers as well. I destroyed 3 pairs last week. Vamping and loving equal strength on steroids." Stefan and Enzo look at each other, Stefan sympathetically, "Get used to it, they share EVERYTHING. I've already been through this. There is nothing like walking up to the front door and hearing your last sexual encounter as the main topic of discussion, in complete detail, and I mean complete detail being discussed between the 3 of them. They have been sharing every detail of their lives since they were in diapers. I don't know of any topic that is off-limits. My advice, get used to it, they are not going to change. Damon and I learned early on not to do anything that the other 2 ladies can't know. Trust me when I say. They will know things before we do. We are the odd 3 men out." Stefan looks up and all the ladies are looking at him with a disgusted look. He laughs out loud.

Ric walks in with the twins in tow, "Zio, we are hungry." Stefan picks up Josie, "That is a good thing, Uncle Enzo has been making pancakes and see the sausage is all ready for you. All you need to decide is what you would like to drink and go sit at the table. Ok?" Josie nods her head, "Lizzie, Zio and Uncle E have all the breaky ready for us, we have sit at the table. Zio, what was the other thing we have to do?" Stefan reminds her "What do you want to drink with your breakfast, milk or Uncle D's juice smoothie?" Josie smiles "Oh, yeah, Lizzie, what do you want to drink?" Josie looks around and doesn't see Lizzie anywhere, she turns back to Stefan, "Zio, Where did Lizzie go?" Enzo answered, "She headed out the door. I bet she is going to get Damon." Stefan nods, "Josie, let's get you some breakfast, go get your seat and I will bring you a plate. Would you like maple syrup or strawberries on top?" Josie runs over to the table climbs up on the chair next to Bonnie, "Strawberries on my pancakes and can I have milk, please, Zio" Stefan gets her plate together, and brings it over to her, "I going to go find Liz."

Stefan walks into the library to hear Lizzie talking to Damon, she is facing the window that is looking out on the East lawn and toward the quarry range, "Uncle D, it's there, the big black dog, I can see it. It has red eyes. It is out there by the big pointy trees." Damon looking out the window standing behind her, "Ok baby, I'm looking, I'm looking right at the pointy trees. The big ones right in front there. Now you see a big dog with red eyes. In front of the pointy trees, right?" Lizzie nods her head "Yep, right there" pointing her finger. Damon hears Stefan, he turns his head. He waves his head toward the window, urging Stefan to join them. Using the brother bond, he sends Stefan the feeling of confusion. Damon picks up Lizzie, "Tell Zio what you are looking at Lizzie?" Lizzie points "There is a big black doggie with red eyes, he is sitting right there in front of the pointy trees." Stefan looks and doesn't see anything, he stares and blinks and looks again, for just a moment he remembers his vampire capabilities. Stefan says to Damon, "Why don't you and Lizzie go get some breakfast, while Caroline and I go see if we can find the doggie, maybe it is he is lost, we can find his owners." Lizzie turns in Damon's arms, "Uncle D, I don't want the doggie to come into the house. He scares me, he isn't a nice doggie." Damon holds her tight, "Honey, why do you think the doggie isn't a nice doggie?" Lizzie looks at him in his eyes, "Auntie BeeBee says if we see people that have this color all around them (pointing to the dark magenta pink on her shirt), we should stay away from them. We should find one of our family and stay around them right away. Daddy says we have to always listen to Auntie BeeBee cause she is a witch like us. Me and Josie listen to you and Zio cause you are witches too." Damon nods his head in agreement, "I'm hungry what about you, I think I heard that Uncle Enzo made pancakes, and I bet he made Strawberries to go with them, those are your favorites." Lizzie wiggles out of his arms to the floor and runs toward the kitchen.

Damon tells Stefan, "I didn't see anything that Lizzie was talking about. I did manipulate the wind and sway the trees a bit, Stef, there was resistance. Something was there. She could see it. She saw the dark magenta aura. You know what that means." Stefan answers while looking out the windows "Do not trust in any way!" Both of the brothers pause for a moment. Stefan turns to Damon, "It is starting." Damon looks at his brother, "Yepp" popping the 'p'.


	14. Chapter 14 - A New Life Worth Living

Chapter 14 – A New Life Worth Living

Elena looking out the car window, "I can't believe how much campus has changed." Bonnie answers, "Damon did a little bit of that himself after the whole Augustine adventure. Remember? It was under construction before the Ric & Jo's wedding." Caroline shakes her shoulders "Ahh, the good ole times. On to happier topics, Elena you got all the classes you wanted and what a schedule. One day on campus and the rest online courses. Damon is going to love that." Bonnie excited, "Dr. Elena Gilbert – Salvatore or Dr. Elena Salvatore? Have you decided?" Elena laughed, "Geez, Bon, let me get through Pre-Med." Caroline interrupts, "Enough about school, it's shopping time." As she parks the car.

Exiting the shop with bags hanging from their arms, the three ladies have covered every topic from skincare to lingerie. They have laughed and even cried, not one had thought that they would have this ability to just spend the day together shopping and being after Kai had done his dastardly deed. But here they were, just like freshmen in high school, cruising the mall after school.

"Hello there Ladies, looks like you three, are up to no good. I might have to take you in for suspicious activity" Sheriff Matt Donovan says. All three of the ladies turnaround. Elena is the first one to throw her arms around him "Matt, I mean Sheriff." both Bonnie and Caroline give him a hug. Matt continues, "I wish I had more time, I'm on my way to the courthouse. Leave something in the stores for everyone else, guys." Hugging and kissing the foreheads each of the ladies goodbye, off he goes into his patrol car. Caroline comments, "He really looks good. Do you think he is dating anyone?" Bonnie rolls her eyes. "I don't know, but if anyone can find out, it is you." Elena laughs "I'm getting a bit parched, ice tea anyone, maybe a snack, Care, do you need something redder?" Caroline smirks, "Elena, you are worse than Stefan, I'm fine, believe it or not, a vamp can go longer than 6 hours without a sip." Elena still worrying, "Yes, I remember, but you also have been going through a lot lately, and you have started to desiccate a few times lately, so excuse us for caring, CARE." Bonnie defusing the duelling worry warts, "Let's try the new café on the other side of the square, by the old park, I'd like to see what they have done to the old building" Elena and Caroline agree.

After grabbing a table outside, and being served their drinks, Elena enjoying the beautiful day, "Look at the old park, what a shame. Remember when we used to play here, how fun it was. It is just so neglected. Even the flowers, the beautiful flowers are gone. Too bad Damon wasn't with us, just a wave of his hand." Elena mimics what Damon would do. "And all the flowers would be in bloom again" Bonnie and Caroline gasp as they watch all the flowers come back to life. Elena's mouth opens wide, her hand falls to the top of the table. Bonnie and Caroline look at Elena, Caroline gasps, "Did you do that?" Elena confused, "No, I can't do magic, Bonnie you did that, how did you do that?" Bonnie denies, "I didn't do that, I swear." Elena looks at Caroline "Don't look at me, I'm a vampire"

Elena waves her hand again, more flowers bloom "Oh my god, the dark magic is back." Bonnie grabs Elena's arm, closes her eyes. Everyone is looking at Bonnie. Bonnie smiles, she opens her eyes and looks up and Elena, Elena's phone starts ringing, Bonnie says, "it's Damon wondering what's going on, tell him your fine.. Answer it" Elena answers the phone "Hello, Damon, I'm fine." Damon concerned, "Elena, Are you ok? Where are you? Are you hurt? What is going on? I felt you are distressed" Elena looking at Bonnie mouth 'you are fine, trust me' "Damon, everything is fine, I am fine, I'm perfectly ok, I'm not hurting, no one is hurting me, I got upset about the old park, it is a mess. I'm fine, Caroline and Bonnie are with me, have been the whole time." Damon demands, "Let me talk to Bonnie." Elena hands the phone to Bonnie, Damon worrying, "Bonnie, what is going on, Elena was feeling fear, why Bonnie, what is going on?" Bonnie trying to calm him down, "She wasn't feeling fear, she was upset about the park, she was talking about when we were kids and falling out of the tree. Damon, trust me, she is perfectly fine, she is sitting here enjoying ice tea with her powerful witch and vampire girlfriends that will not let anyone hurt her. Go back to your task list. We got this covered. By the way, when are you going to be back at the house today?" Damon still anxious, "I can head back now or by 7 o'clock." Bonnie calming her voice," We will see you for dinner, Goodbye Damon" she hangs up the phone.

Elena demands, "Tell me, what did you see, Bonnie, why can I make the flowers grow." Bonnie smiles "Elena, relax, first, there is no dark magic at all. This is all magic that you and Damon created. Think about it Elena, Damon is human now, a male.. a human male witch... You are living with... LOVING with a human male witch... You are human.. a human female… a human female doppelganger. What is doppelganger blood to a witch?" Caroline's hands go to her mouth, "A conduit for magic and magical energy power" Bonnie shakes her head 'yes' Caroline jumps up and down "oh my god.. oh my god" Elena is still confused "I don't understand, I'm channelling Damon's magic through my blood, but his magic isn't blood magic it's nature and lovveee…"

Elena's hand drops to her stomach "I'm pregnant, our baby, I'm channelling our baby's magic. That is how I'm able to make the flowers grow." Elena stares at Caroline and Bonnie "Damon is going to faint, freak, panic... Oh my god, I'm pregnant. How did this happen... I mean I know how this happened, but how did this happen. He is, I mean he was a vampire. Oh my god, we didn't even think about worrying about thinking about protection. We never did as vampires, we never thought about it, since vampires can't procreate, then I was human, but he was a vampire, so again, nothing to think about. We just were so used to not thinking about it, we forgot to think about it. We never thought about it, and he's been using all these herbs and oils to benefit my human functions. I bet that helped make me even more fertile. I'm pregnant. Damon Salvatore and I are pregnant. Bonnie are you sure.. Really really sure?" Bonnie nods, "I sensed another good presence in you that was part you and part Damon, that can only mean one thing. Let's make sure, let's go by the drug store and buy a test to make sure. Then you can make an appointment with the doctor after you and Damon talk."

Elena pauses for a moment, "Do I have to tell Damon, he is going to panic, he going to freak." Caroline disagrees, "He is going to be so happy, once he is done panicking and freaking. You know Damon, his first reaction is never the real one, it is his way of doing the wrong thing first to make sure that what he really wants to do it the right thing." Bonnie and Elena laugh, "That is Damon, described perfectly."

At the house, the 3rd positive test result, Elena shows Bonnie and Caroline. Caroline gleefully proclaims, "3 different test brands and 3 positive results, I think that we can agree that you are pregnant." Elena relents, "Ok, I have to tell Damon. We are going to re-enforcements, we better call Stefan and Ric, make sure they are here for this. Bourbon, we are going to need Bourbon, lots and lots of Bourbon." Caroline takes charge, "I'm on it. You rest, you are going to need it."

Damon drives into the garage, his thoughts replay the day. The task list was finished, he was feeling very accomplished. His plan was coming together. His mind went back to the moment he felt Elena, he knows there was something more going on. He believes Bonnie that Elena was safe, that was the important part of the message. He could feel her now, inside the house, safe and happy. He couldn't shake that there was something else going on.

Everyone is gathered in the living room when Damon walks in the door. Damon is worried, things look mighty suspicious. He looks around the room, he sees Ric standing by the fireplace holding a large glass of bourbon in his hand, Bonnie and Enzo are sitting on the couch, looking at him with amusement in their eyes, Caroline looks up and smiles, and his brother, Stefan is actually gloating, his attention turns to Elena, she almost looks scared, such mixed reactions from everyone in the room he doesn't know how to formulate an expectation.

Damon exasperated, "Something is really going on. Who is going to be the first to start talking?" Ric walks over, and hands him the glass of bourbon, "You really should drink this first, trust me when I say you are going to thank me," Damon takes the Bourbon, brings it to his mouth, stops, pulls it away from his mouth before the liquid touches his lips "Elena, you said you were ok today. I felt you were better. Even right now, I don't feel any danger, from anyone. So what the hell is going on. Everyone is looking at me like I'm going to turn into a frog or rip someone throat out, or I don't know turn into stone" Enzo grins, "I'll start taking the bets, anyone want to get in on it?" Bonnie slaps Enzo, "Not yet." Caroline smiles "Enzo, we are here for support. So shut up" Elena stands up and walks toward Damon.

Elena quietly, "Damon, I know you're confused right now. Believe me when I tell you that I'm confused with you. I'm also, very happy. You are will be happy too, once you get used to the idea. Please take a drink like Ric suggested." Damon takes a long draw from the glass, it had been a long time since he had partaken, he took a second to enjoy, and admitted he missed the smooth feeling as the bourbon slid down his throat. Elena took a deep breath, "Something exciting happen today, the girls and I went out for Iced Tea at the new café by the old park. We went outside, right next to the old park, I was upset at how neglected the park was. We started talking about the times we played there as kids. I'm mentioned that it would've been nice if you were there with us. You could've waved your hand like this."

She waved her hand in a wide arch and all the potted plants in the room that she brought in bloomed and grew.

"and the flowers would have been brought back to life." Elena paused and watched Damon look around as the pots continued to change, "As you can see, I magically brought back to life all the flowers at the old park. What you sense today and was me being worried, I thought that dark magic had taken hold again, and somehow I was channelling it. Just before you called Bonnie took hold and read me. She realized very quickly it wasn't dark magic, it was good, very good magic. You called, she told me to tell you that everything was ok. So I did."

Damon stuttering, "How... what.. then .. you... Bon... Lena.." Ric took pity on his friend, and handed him a full glass of Bourbon, "Here have another belt." Damon put his empty one down and took the full glass from Ric's hand. He took a swig, and looked at Elena who started to speak again, "After I got off the phone with you, Bonnie told me what she saw." Elena stopped and took a deep breath. She walked over the table and picked up 3 plastic sticks.

Elena turns and goes over to Damon, "After a few minutes of being shocked, we went the Drug Store and got these." Elena brought out her 3 positive pregnancy tests and held them out for Damon to see. Damon looks at the sticks and it doesn't register what they are. Damon looks around, "Ok, what are these? Pens?"

Stefan doubles over in laughter, "Oh my god, Damon, you have to get out in the world more. 172 years old and he has never seen a pregnancy test before." Damon looks down in Elena's hand, each of the sticks has a panel that clearly identifies something. He looks at the double lines, the word pregnant, and the plus sign.

Damon's face has gone pale, all the blood has drained from it, the glass falls from his hand, Stefan moves behind his brother immediately. Elena is still looking at the test sticks, "Bonnie thinks, I could make the flowers grow because with my doppelganger blood I can channel the baby's magic, your magic, Damon, your Earth element. Damon... Damon." Damon was in Stefan's arms. Stefan completely amused, "He's ok, he is in a bit of shook right now, Ric come give me a hand, let's get him to the chair."

Bonnie turns to her, "Elena, let him feel the baby." Elena gets down on her knees and puts Damon's hand on her stomach, Damon's head turned to her "A baby?" Elena shakes her head, "All 3 brands confirm it, and a powerful blood witch, the uncle witch and vampire hearing." Damon takes her into his arms "A baby, Elena, How? when? How?" Elena smiles, "How is? The old fashion way. I'll get the books and diagrams out to explain in private, when? well, not sure, we have to see a doctor to find out how old this little guy is?" Damon sits up and yells, "OH MY GOD... A BABY." Elena gets up, she extends her arm, "BOURBON!" and another glass of bourbon is put in her hand. She puts the glass in front of Damon's eyes, "Damon, you need this, drink." Damon takes the glass and empties it in one gulp, he puts the glass up in the air, and Stefan fills it again. Damon gulps again and repeats.

The next morning, Damon is standing by the bed watching Elena sleep. He has been up for hours, he barely slept last night, he kept touching her, when he did, he could feel the baby. He had to leave her rest, wasn't she resting for two now. He knew so little about babies and pregnant mothers, he had so much to learn. Elena, marriage, school, so much to do and now a baby, he was terrified. Quietly, he left the bedroom, so not to disturb Elena's sleep.

He swung the kitchen door open, Stefan was at the coffee pot, he looked up, grabbed another cup "I was wondering how long it would take you to come down" Damon answered, "Am I that predictable" Stefan handed him a filled cup, "Yep" Damon took it and started confessing to his brother, "Stefan, I can't tell what is going on right now. I've got emotions coming out of everywhere. To be honest, if I were a vampire right now, I'm so overwhelmed, I would have flipped my switch." Stefan smirked, "You wouldn't be in this situation if you were a vampire" Damon grinned, "Touche, brother. The love of my life is lying in a bed upstairs pregnant with my child. How is that a sentence that was ever supposed to come out of my mouth? I was the evil selfish Damon Salvatore. Who never got the girl. Stefan, now my life is everything I never knew I always wanted. Now, what do I do?"

Stefan answers honestly, "Sounds like a pretty easy decision to me brother, you live the life you never knew you always wanted to live. You marry your girl, you be a great dad." Damon hates when Stefan makes it easy, "Is it really that easy? Marry the girl, be happy, raise a family, love and be loved in return." Stefan answers, "Sometimes brother it is that easy, home is where the heart is, that is on all the greeting cards"

Caroline walks into the kitchen, "Good morning, How's Elena this morning?" Damon takes a drink of coffee, "She is still sleeping, I didn't want to wake her up. Care, I don't know anything about pregnant mothers or babies, I need to learn and fast." Caroline amused with Daddy focused Damon, "No problem, I still have books from when I was pregnant with the girls, you can start with those. I've highlighted and written notes in the margins from the Lamaze classes."

Damon takes a breather from conversation while he thinks about how to start the next topic. He knows Stefan will understand, "I got to marry Elena, and now. I know that we are in 2019, but I'm still at 1864 kinda guy. You understand!" Stefan nods his head in agreement, Caroline looks at both of them confused "What does that mean, 1864 kinda guy?" Stefan gives her a hug "Good morning, wife. It's ok, Damon has this under control. Where are those books, I can get them"

A week goes by and the house is buzzing, the library has turned into Damon's office, people are coming in and out all day long. Stefan is rarely home, he spends most of his time at the temple and cottage. Caroline has been helping him with coordinating the construction. Elena started Whitmore, this week, going back and forth for orientation and first day took a lot out of her. Elena is determined to start school pregnant or not. Damon doesn't agree, he is wisely choosing not to argue the point at the moment since she is able to do magic as well as he can, the last argument ended up with two large pine tree colliding in midair. Stefan laughed so hard, fired blasted out of the chimney tops. Elena and her hormones aren't backing down from any of Damon's demands, leaving Damon to question what the hell to do, and Stefan to watch his brother go through torture, and loved every minute of it.

Damon confides in his brother, "Stefan, this isn't funny. Elena is pregnant with your niece or nephew, and all you can do is sit there and laugh your god damn head off. If you keep this up, you're going to blow the damn chimneys apart. This isn't funny. She needs to understand, she should be resting, not taking chemical biology classes." Stefan showing no support at all, "Last time you tried to prove that a germ could get at her, she put a barrier spell around her that backfired on you. You had lice for 2 days. I'm just saying, Elena can take care of her and the baby, she is proving it every day. And you are just mad because she doesn't need you to be a knight in rusty armor. My brother, your woman is your partner, get over it, and enjoy it." Damon isn't backing completely down, "Stefan, I get it, it still leaves the marriage issue. I've got almost all the plans in place. She better not argue this one, I will not accept no for an answer, she is going to marry me, damn it. This is my child too, he or she has been alive long enough without married parents. Period."

Bonnie walks into the room, just as Damon starts his marriage rant, "What! Damon. What did you just say? Seriously?" Damon not in the mood to be challenged, "Don't start with me, Bonnie. Elena and I were getting married before the baby is born, and damn it, we are getting married. She already said as soon as humanly possible. Well, I decided humanly wasn't so important. She isn't acting so "humanly" so I don't have to either. Bonnie this is my child too, She or he deserves to live with married parents. That is the way I feel, he or she is loved and damn it, married with both parent, married legally.. with papers... Period... It's my baby too... She gets to take him or her everywhere with her.. Damn it ...Married..legally with papers.. that is it.." Damon storms out of the room.

Bonnie and Stefan laugh out loud, Bonnie "He is a real mess, this is so much fun. How are you holding it together?" Stefan completely amused, "I'm not, I swear, I'm going to blow the chimney off the house any day. I can barely control it." Bonnie laughing, "Does Elena know what she is doing to Damon?" Stefan only mildly chuckling, "Yes and No, she wants to go to school, and doesn't think that being pregnant should stop her, especially now that she can do magic. She is taking as many biology classes as possible because of being able to do barrier spells, the protection from her and the baby now versus later when she isn't pregnant an extra level of protection, then just rubber gloves." Bonnie is impressed with Elena's plan, "That's smart thinking." Stefan agrees, "I thought it was too. Damon, not so much. He would rather her not take any chemical or biology classes period. You can imagine how happy she was to hear that." Bonnie intrigued, "What did she say?" Stefan starts to laugh at the memory, "She threw a pine tree at him. It was awesome." Bonnie trying not to laugh, "Oh my god, that is my girl, she doesn't put up from anyone, doesn't he remember anything from her as a human. She never listened to him or you for that matter." Stefan remembering, "I know, I've been trying to tell him. He just starts babbling and storming out of the room."

"Good evening everyone" Damon walks into the kitchen, dinner is in full motion. He walks over to Elena, kisses her on the forehead, and takes his empty chair next to her. She knows he is up to something, he is to calm, deliberate, to relaxed. Damon reaches for some of the food items, places portions on his plate. The conversation resumes around him, Stefan smiles, Elena catches the smile, yes, he is something is up. Elena "Stefan, how's the plantation building coming?" Stefan "It is really coming along, the contractors are almost done with laying the foundation. The plans that you and Caroline helped with are wonderful, they made a huge difference, we were able to incorporate some of the pre-existing ruins." Damon is smiling and eating at the same time. Enzo notices Bonnie isn't eating "Love, this is the second meal today that hasn't sat well with you. Are you feeling ok?" Bonnie "Not sure, I might have a bit of a bug, or maybe I'm just tired. I don't exactly feel sick, eating isn't exactly working well for me today." Damon perked up "Can I make you something? I can get you some botanicals, fix you right up Bon Bon." Bonnie "Damon, that would be great, if I am coming down with something, I don't want Elena and the baby to get it." Elena, "I think the baby and I are covered very well. Damon has been force-feeding us all sorts of healthy botanicals." Damon "Elena, being a bit dramatic... Force feeding" Elena "Ok, maybe not force feeding, but enough to feed a horse" Caroline laughed.

Damon brought over some of the botanicals that he made for Elena, Bonnie smelled them, she immediately got up and ran to the kitchen sink, and threw up. Damon followed her over, he put his hands on her shoulders, and he took them off fast, then put them back on. Bonnie turned on the water, took a few swallows to rinse her mouth out, then a few more to drink. She turned to Damon. She looks up into his eyes, knowing that she was the only one that could see his eyes, he opened them big and arched his brows, she knew that he now knew too. She blinked an unspoken language that he knew not to say anything, they would talk later. Damon "Ok, well, let's try this, now that we know you are coming down with something." He mixed a few herbs together with some water, strained it, and handed it to Bonnie. She slowly drank it, and immediately felt the nausea fall away. Bonnie "Thanks Damon, I feel much better, maybe I should try to eat a little bit." Damon suggested, "Try some orange veggies, stay away from red ones." Damon winks, "Stefan, maybe it might be a good idea for you to energize Enzo's drink tonight, no sense in adding to Bon Bon ickie feeling." Bonnie disagreed, "I'm fine, I can bleed, that isn't a problem." Enzo more concerned, "Love, this is why we are all living together, to support and help each other. Not to mention, I can go without too. Stefan's blood works almost as well as yours. I'm just a bit weaker, that's all. We already know this." Stefan grabs the knife, makes a small cut on his hand and lets his blood drip into Enzo's glass of blood. Enzo is appreciative, "Thanks mate, I owe you one." Stefan answers back, "I'm still in the red column. Bottoms up" Bonnie reminds, "Enzo, it is our turn to clean up from dinner, do you mind? I am going to go for a walk with Damon, let him give me a magical re-charge" Enzo agrees reluctantly, "Mate, keep her warm, she's been cold the last week or so at night." Damon nods, puts his arm around Bonnie and leads her out the front door.

Once outside, they are silent until they are a safe distance so vamp hearing isn't an issue. Damon with a bit of sarcasm in his voice, "So you're pregnant too?" Bonnie hits him in the chest, "Yes! Don't ask! It's Enzo's." Giving Damon an evil eye, Bonnie continues, "The only thing I can figure is. It has to be nature's magic and my human blood. The only thing vampire about him is his bones. Everything else was created with human blood, human doppelganger and your nature's magic. Since the bones don't mix with the blood, he is able to procreate." Bonnie leans away from Damon, "What did you see when you touched me?" Damon puts his hands on Bonnie's shoulders, he closes his eyes, the winds circle around them, "I sensed you and Enzo, and another magical presence, a Bennett Blood presence. A female witch, I sense power, strong power, just like you, like Sheila, your Grandmother, and Emily, goodness. She is strong, she is stubborn, her heart is warm and open. She is a leader." Bonnie still very concerned, "You don't feel anything dark, or vampire?" Damon still holding her, "You are worried? Bonnie, you know this, vampires aren't born, they are turned. Your baby isn't a vampire. Here to put your mind to rest, we can combine our magic and you can see what I see."

Damon sits down on a rock with Bonnie on his lap and takes off one of his shoes, he takes a sharp rock and cuts his palm, then he cuts Bonnie's palm, he closes his cut palm over Bonnie's cut palm. Damon takes her, "Ok, Bon Bon, breath with me, just a little bit at a time, use your blood magic to get into mine, once you are in follow my lead, I'll take you there." Bonnie feels her blood mix with Damon's, her magical energy is so different from Damon's she finds it quickly, she follows him through his arms and back into her and to her baby, a Bennett Blood witch, she can feel it, with Enzo's strength and love, there something else there, familiar, powerful, there is a hint of doppelganger blood.

Bonnie blinks and she is out of Damon's magic. She opens her eyes the tears are flowing down her cheek, he puts his arms around her, she doesn't have the strength, for the first time in their friendship Damon knows that she is completely vulnerable, she needs his protection and his strength. He puts his hand on her head and buries it in his chest, laying his cheek on the top of her head, "Bon, no one can hear you, let it all out, I have you. It's just you and me, the two BFFs from 1994." He closes his arms around her making sure she feels all his warmth and strength as the tears continue to flow. Bonnie confesses, "We did so much to get Enzo back to me, so many consequences, so many balances, I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop, Damon. When I realized I was pregnant. I thought this was the other shoe. I was creating the worst evil possible, somehow, through me, my love, my need to have Enzo back, my selfishness. How can I be this happy? Have everything, have Enzo and a family."

Damon holding her tighter, "Bonnie Bennett, this is life saying we took so much from you, now you get to have a life back. Although, I did feel doppelganger blood, if she looks like Elena, We may have a problem." Bonnie hits Damon in the arm. Damon grins, "I'm living with two hormonal pregnant witches." Bonnie snarky right back, "Being a vampire is looking pretty good about now!"

Damon laughs "Not even close." Bonnie tone gets serious again, "Damon, I'm not ready for everyone to know. I haven't wrapped my head around it yet. I need a few days. Can you put a cloaking spell on the baby? I don't want Caroline or Enzo to be able to hear her." Damon leans back, "Bon, she is perfect, she is good, you are fine. This is the best news. Elena is going 'Twinsie Preggie' when she finds out. And Caroline is going to start a tutoring session calendar. Of course, I'm her Godfather, I'm calling dibs now. I don't care what Stefan says about his blood being involved." Damon looks into her eyes, "Bonnie, these are the living parts of life we have to celebrate. This is a good thing, a very very good thing." Bonnie can't look him in the eyes anymore, she has lost so much, the idea of losing this baby, if everyone knows about her, "I just can't, not yet. Please, Damon." Damon knows there is something more going on in her mind, he is going to agree, for now, this isn't over, his BFF is going to be as happy as he is, "Ok Bonster, we play it your way for now. You are going to tell me the real reason for this and soon. My friend, in there, is going to be a father, trust me when I say, he is going to make one hell of a great Dad." Bonnie nods in agreement.

Damon sets Bonnie on the rock, he stands up and stretches. Bonnie laughs, always the drama king. Damon raises his hands to the sky, and the winds create a vortex around them, he calls forth specific blooms and leaves from trees that enter the vortex, it creates an amazing aroma. A few moments later, the vortex dies down and a small amount of paste appears in Damon's palm. Damon asks "Bon hold out your arms." He takes a fingerprint of the paste and puts it on each of her wrists. Damon then asks "Bon, hold up your shirt, so I can put some on the baby." She does as he asks. Damon takes his four finger tips and places them on top of her navel. He then puts both his hands over the prints he made on her wrists and conjures the winds once more. Bonnie shivers and the wind dies immediately. Damon wraps his arm around her, "It's done, she is cloaked. No one can hear or sense her but me. Not even the twins can get to her. She is safe from all." Bonnie lays her head on his chest, "Thank you, I promise when I'm ready to talk, you are the only person who will understand. I know that you've been where I am. I just can't put it into words yet. Soon, very soon. I promise." Bonnie shivers again as they walk back to the house, this time she knows it isn't Damon's spell, it is something evil coming, something evil watching them. Their destiny, the fight, it is coming.

It's been a productive month for Team Salvatore. The temple cottage is built, Caroline has been working on the furnishing and decorating. Elena's education was going well, on Damon's insistence, someone accompanied her to Whitmore once a week, the 2-hour drive was a wonderful time to and from end up being quality time with one of her loved ones, she truly cherished it. With Stefan in construction mode, he put a roof on the indoor atrium and helped Elena turn it into a personal medical study lab, complete with microscopes and incubators.

Stefan also started construction on the main house, with Damon and Elena starting a family, a nursery was needed. He felt that the twins and any future children needed a playroom that was safe inside the house walls, so he designed a North wing that included 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and an indoor playground, pool and social area for the adults to watch the next generation. The social area could double as a ritual altar if needed.

Stefan and Damon have daily Wiccan training session with Demetrius. Speaking of training sessions, Ric was quite surprised how fast Caroline to sword fighting, she was a natural. She was duelling with Damon within days, after 2 weeks, she was able to handle 2 challengers. Damon was right about his skills with blades, by the 3rd week, he was back to expert level, his human strength was increasing, he actually liked working out and sweating. He really liked Elena's reaction to it, although, the pregnancy hormones may have something to do with it. Elena has become quite the marksman with a bow and arrow, as expected her previous training with Ric resurfaced easily, Damon has been completely against her practicing hand to hand, Elena, of course, ignores his complaining, insisting that she will protect their child as every parent should, then knocks him on the ground with a solid punch to the gut. Damon is overprotective with Bonnie as well, claiming that she needs to practice with her magic, bonding blood magic with nature's magic. No one has caught on to his goal, everyone thinks that his general bad mood is related to Elena not cooperating with his 1800's mindset of what an expectant mother should and shouldn't do. Matt joins in the training as often as he can, often going against Enzo and Stefan at the same time. Damon has been teaching the twins how to sneak up and siphon Stefan's magic when he is pulling from his elements that are far away. Lizzie was able to extinguish a fireball out of his hand, she was so excited that she jumped up and down, scaring Caroline so that she lost concentration and Damon stabbed her during a fighting practice. Caroline was upset for 3 days because he ruined one of her favorite shirts.

Enzo and Stefan had started sparring together most evenings, Stefan would create a magical barrier spell around him. This gave him the upper hand if Enzo got a lucky punch in, the vampire strength would not kill him. The sparring sessions created a bond between these two men. Stefan asked Enzo questions about Lily, questions he couldn't ask when Damon was around. Enzo could talk about Augustine memories without Bonnie feeling the pain in his voice. They both could talk about being controlled by Sybil and Cade, without judgment or pity. When the memories got too much, the talking stopped, and the sparring started. The physical releasing of all the anger from the lack of control, from everything they could have lost, from what they did lose. They could take it out physically with each other without fear of actually hurting the other. It was true purging of the demons that were inside their old souls, it was healing, and each of the men understood. When the physical exhaustion finally took over, they would sit and talk about how much they almost lost, how grateful they were for the people who fought for them. The two men pour a measure of bourbon, raise their glass in a toast to their new life, the new destiny, the women that they would die for, and then they wish each other good night. Each time a different demon was killed, the bond became stronger, these two once enemies, then frien'emies, were becoming not just friends but Brothers.

Upstairs in their room, Stefan is sitting at his desk looking over the designs changes for the North Wing, Caroline is coming out of the closet with an arm full of dresses. Caroline completely frustrated, "Did Damon say when this wedding is happening? I know he is up to something, Elena knows to. Did you see her face at dinner? She is so suspicious. She is studying every move Damon is making. Why are you laughing?" Stefan grinning, "Frankly, because for the first time in almost 160 years, I get to watch my brother sweat, squirm, and completely lose it. The best part is he knows he can't do anything about it, she holds all the cards. My brother has met his match in Elena Gilbert and she is completely torturing him."

Stefan has a hardy laugh, "It is good torture, which I find equally as amusing compared to the type of torture he is used to giving out. He has no idea how to fight it, scheme or protect from it. He is so screwed." Stefan leans back in his chair and lets out a roar of laughter, "Now that she is pregnant with his child in the 21st century. She is everything she wants to do. And nothing he wants her to do, because well it is unrealistic, old fashion and mostly stupid. She has the magic to back up her words and wishes. Let's just say the last 150 years of my life just became well worth it. So yes, I'm so happy for Damon and Elena, I'm also enjoying every second of my big brother's discomfort."

Caroline thought about it for a minute, then she smiled "Ok, you're right, Elena is giving him fits and he does deserve it. It is fun watching him not being able to get mad at her because of being pregnant. He truly doesn't know what to do, protect her from something she is doing by yelling at her, or getting her upset by yelling at her. He can't win at all. Watching him realize that he has no options, yesterday, I thought his brain was going to explode when she was sword fighting with Ric." Stefan laughs "I missed that one, I would have paid serious money to see it." Caroline grins, "Next time I will video chat it. What about this one?"

Caroline picks up one of the dresses, then throws it with all of them on to the bed, "How am I suppose to pick out a dress for my best friend's surprise wedding without asking my best friend? Only Damon would put me in this situation. Of course, Elena knows that Damon is acting weird, she knows I'm acting weird too. She isn't stupid, she knows something is up. Stefan, stop laughing this is serious. I have no idea what to wear, I'm going to be the co-matron of honor in my BFF's surprise wedding, I have to pick something. All those years when we were kids, all we did was talk about my wedding. She never talked about what she wanted, I'm a horrible friend."

She picks up a dress from the pile, looks at it. Stefan walks over to her, puts his arms around her waist, and snuggles her neck, whispers in her ear "You know Elena, better than most people in this house, you know what she cares about?" Caroline thought about what he was saying "She cares about, 'The people' that is who she loves" Stefan nods, "Yep, isn't she going to care about what you are wearing, or is she going to care that you are standing right next to her?" Caroline twist in his arms, "I know, I still want it perfect for her." Stefan holds her tight, "It will be because everyone she loves will be there. That is what is perfect to her, it always has been."

Damon comes barging into the room. "Ok, it's ready. Stef, I've got everything set up, I hope this works, did you finish getting all the words ready from Demetrius?" Stefan tries to calm him down, "Yes, I've got the entire incantation. He has our entire bloodline on standby, we will be able to channel them for maybe 5 minutes at the most, so it has to be fast. Is Bonnie ordained?" Damon stares at Stefan with a DUH look, Yes, she did it online last week." Caroline turns around, "What are you guys talking about?" Damon flashes the classic Damon eyes, "Get ready Care Bear, Elena's getting married tonight."


	15. Chapter 15 - The Plan Comes Together

Chapter 15 – The Plan comes together

Caroline freaks, "What I am not ready, I didn't.. there isn't a… we didn't… she and I haven't…" Caroline took a deep breath and lowered her arms in an arch to her chest. In classic Caroline fashion, the orders started rolling out of her mouth, "Bonnie is going to marry you two, I will make sure she has the ceremony ready. I will be matron of honor, Damon can grow a few flowers for the bouquets. I'm going to stand up for her. Stefan is the best man, you can wear your tux, oh wait, it burnt. You can wear your navy suit, you look so handsome in that one. Jeremy and Ric will walk with her. I will go see what they have. I know Ric has a navy suit. Jeremy, will he is another subject, I'll figure that out. Matt, Enzo and the girls will have the rings, they will be standing behind her, surrounding her with love. She is going to love it. It is going to be perfect." Caroline picked through some of the dresses, she finally found the one, she held it up. Caroline stated, "I will wear this dress!" Damon agrees, "Perfect choice." Caroline looked at Stefan who spoke after Damon, "That is the one."

Damon sat on the edge of Stefan's desk and watched his sister in law, it was so entertaining to watch her go from freak out to completely in control of every detail as fast as turning on a light switch. He glanced at Stefan, who was giving him an evil eye, he shrugged his shoulders back at his brother. Damon would have to admit he did this to Caroline on purpose. He made his dramatic announcement knowing that, Caroline would have a momentary coronary, then pull it all together and have a plan for all the specifics just the way Elena would want them. Who better to know the exact details what Elena would want than her very best friends. Damon smirked, after all, he had the big plans done. Stefan walked over to Damon and hit his shoulder, "That was a good move. Not very nice, but a good move, she is going to be busy for the rest of the day." Damon nods his head and walks out of the room.

Damon back on the move, heads to his and Elena's bedroom. "I missed the show." walking in on Elena pulling her shirt over her head, "Feeling better?" Elena answers, "Yes, on both accounts." Rolling her eyes at him. "I did rest for a few minutes, being pregnant does take a bit out of me." Damon's chest got a little bigger, Elena rolled her eyes again. Damon held out his hand, "What about a drive? Feel up for that? It is a gorgeous day, you and I should all the couple'y time we can before we are a 'Three-some'. We do have a lot to talk about." Elena tries not to let her suspicion show, "That sounds perfect, I've been cooped up in the house too long anyhow. It's never to early to do some baby furniture shopping." Damon not thrilled, but agrees "That is a plan, I do have to drop some drawings off at the plantation. If you don't mind one errand on the way. If you are interested, we can take a dip in the temple pond or not. You can let me know how you & the baby feel once we get there." Elena thinks 'he is trying to get me to the temple. Geezz, another ritual.' She does roll her eyes. Damon catches her eye action, he smiles, 'gotcha, you have no idea'.

As there are driving through Mystic Falls, he pulls into the parking lot of the New Café "Do you mind grabbing us a couple of Iced Tea's for the road?" He hands her his wallet as she gets out of the Camero. He gets his phone and dials Stefan "She has no idea, she thinks we are heading to the temple for some protection ritual or something Damon unnecessary. She actually rolled her eyes. How long do you need? Ok, we will be there in 30 minutes. She's coming gotta go." Elena is walking out of the Café, Damon gets out of the car, walks over to open her car door, takes one of the glasses in hand, and kisses her on the mouth. Elena leaning into him, "What was that for? Damon smiles, "You are the mother of my child, I think that gives me certain abilities, one should be to kiss you whenever the mood strikes. Watching you walk with the sunlight shining through your hair, was magnificent. My lips were moved to touch yours." Elena reached up and kissed him back, "I agree". She settled in the car, thinking to herself 'he is so adorable when he is up to something, it is worth it, whatever ritual he needs to do to feel like we are safe.' She put her hand on her stomach 'little one, Daddy doesn't understand that you and I can do amazing things together to protect each other. That part of you is him, that part stays with me all the time, constantly protecting us, and I will never let anything happen to us, either of us.' Damon sees Elena, he puts his hand on top of hers, "How's my child doing?" Elena corrects him, "Our child is happy, comfy and safe. We were just having a chat." Damon wonders, "A chat, what was our child saying to Mom?" Elena explains, "Just how much love he or she feels from both Mom and Dad." Damon agrees, "Yes, Our child, you are very loved, by Mom and Dad."

Damon pulled on to a newly paved driveway. Elena questions, "Where are we?" Damon answers, "This is the driveway to the plantation cottage. I just need to drop the drawing off. Did you decide if you wanted to take a dip in the pond?" Elena frustrated, "Ok Damon, you can give it up. I know you brought me, I mean us up here for a ritual, protection or health ritual of something for me and the baby. So the gig is up. The baby and I have decided that we love you, regardless of how much you underestimate our combined power to protect each other. So let's go, get this ritual over with, that way you'll be happy and we can go home."

Damon smiles "You think you have it all figured out. Don't you! Well, while you are figuring everything out, I'm going into the cottage to drop these drawings off of the backyard so the landscape architect can get working on them tomorrow. Would you like to come inside and take a look at the cottage? It will some furniture, Stef and I figure you and Caroline will take care of that."

Elena is very confused, she follows Damon up the cobblestone path surrounded by amazing greenery and gardens, at the end a two-story home with a wide porch, In the middle was bright blue double doors with stain glass oval designs, Damon takes Elena's arm, "welcome to the temple cottage or family playhouse. Stef and I took bits of Caroline's family home and the Gilbert family home added a dash of the Salvatore plantation."

As they walk in the front door, Damon "We decided the entire downstairs should one big family room, the original idea is so we could keep an eye on the twins, but now" Damon put his hand on Elena's stomach "we have another consideration to keep an eye on. The bedrooms are upstairs, they are on the smaller side, just enough room for a bed, closets are also compact, just enough for weekend getaways. Most of the efforts were put into the downstairs, the kitchen and porch. What do you think?" Elena looks everywhere, "I love it, it is absolutely perfect" Damon stops, "The porch swing isn't up yet, that is one of the drawings, it is a custom build, I made a few design changes with our additional family member on the way." Walking into the kitchen "Most of the appliances are here, we just waiting on delivery for a few speciality ones." Elena walks around the island, looks out the big open sliding glass doors that lead to the back yard. Elena comments, "Woww, you and Stefan have really been working on this." Damon with a little pride, "Well, yes, you and Caroline had a point, Stef and I are going to be spending more time here. Our families should be comfortable, so we are making that happen. Hey, want to see the secret pathway to the temple?" Elena interested, "Yes, secret?" Damon cautiously, "Yep, that way, if anything ever happens, everyone can get to the temple safely. I carved the cave out myself, we have to enter through the basement, I will take you down, but I'm going to let you find your way out on your own, I'm curious to see if I made the path Salvatore friendly and evil confusing. I want to make sure that if anyone else found the tunnels, they would get lost and end up at the end of the driveway or the quarry. Is that ok?" Elena is a little confused, but this isn't unusual behavior for Damon, safety first, especially hers and now the baby's. Elena "Ok, What if I get lost?" Damon confidently, "You will not get lost, I'm positive. Don't worry, I'll be right there with you, you just will not see me. You know magic." Damon leads Elena down to the basement, down the stairs, the room is four walls with no door. Elena looks at Damon "a magic door right? Salvatore, Gilbert, Forbes bloodlines only I assume." Damon loves how smart she was, and how well she knew him. She walks around the room, she saw it, the Salvatore Crest on the wall, she walks directly to that wall.

She touched the wall, and her hand disappeared, she continued walking through the wall until she was completely on the other of the basement and in the tunnel. The tunnel was brightly lit with candles and a path of rose petals leading down the corridor, she turned around and Damon wasn't there.

She walked down the petal covered path a few yards, there was a table, with a note card standing up, a filled Champaign flute and a velvet covered box. She picked up the card and started to read it, 'You are the love of my life' This isn't Champaign, it is refreshing for you and our baby. Please wear what's in the box, it is only a token of what you mean to me.' She took a sip of the flute, it was amazing and refreshing, she put the flute down and picked up the velvet box. It wasn't small, it wasn't heavy, it wasn't light, she knew it was jewelry, she slowly opened the lid. Her breath got caught in her throat, it was gorgeous, a platinum setting with 3 circles of diamonds and sapphires intertwined, she understood immediately, their love, vampire, human, and witch, they always found their way to each other. She took it out of the box and put it on. She put her hand over it, and wished for a mirror.

She picked up the flute and continued on her adventure, she could hear faint music ahead, Elena thought she must be getting to the end of the tunnel. 20 yards in front of her stood another table, to be specific a vanity with chair, and hanging was a beautiful long white dress with a lace detail. She looked at how beautiful it was, it reminded her of a more elaborate version of the dress she wore graduation night when she told Damon that she loved him for the first time. She corrected herself, this dress was nothing like it, so beautiful, so elegant, still just a hint of remembrance. She could help but smile, Damon was such a romantic at heart and a sentimental fool, of course, she could never tell him that, he would bark and deny it, he was much too much a reformed serial killer to be a romantic. Elena put her hand on her stomach "I know that you will be a romantic at heart too, just so you know, you get from dear ole dad. Cause Mom burned her family house down the first chance she got." Elena couldn't help but laugh.

She looked at the vanity table and saw another notecard "You have been right, I'm up to something. I hope that you are interested in playing along. This dress is for you to wear, this table has everything you might want to use to complete the look you want for this dress. There is another box in the drawer, I hope that you are pleased with my choices so far. I love you. Damon." She opens the drawer, there is another smaller velvet box, she pulls it out and opens it, she finds a note inside the box that says 'Gilbert family heirloom'. The box contains the most beautiful pair of antique sapphire drop earrings she had ever seen, she looked at them, she didn't remember them from anything in her father's family photos, or photos from the Mystic Fall Founders Archives. Elena put them on, she loved how they looked, how they made her feel.

She opened the rest of the drawers, she found her makeup, hairbrushes, hair clips, perfume, her botanical oil and undergarments that she was sure Damon personally picked out. She had to admit, she was having fun, she started to undress when a wave of nausea hit her, she sat down, her hand went over her stomach, "Hey little one, are you hungry?" She picked up the flute and finished every drop.

Caroline suddenly appeared "Hey there, Damon sent me to check on you, he sensed something was wrong and since I have vamp speed. Are you ok?" Elena relieved, "Yes, we just got a little dizzy, I think little one is a bit hungry." Caroline remembering those days, "I'll get you some food, stay here I'll be back in a second." Elena curious, "Hey Care, do you know what Damon is up to?" Caroline puts her fingers to her mouth and mimics a key turning a lock shut. Elena suspected as much, "Are you in on it too? Or just back up because I got dizzy?" Caroline "I'm not going to answer. Just go with it, Elena. Enjoy it. I'll be right back" Caroline whooshed out and 2 minutes later she whooshed back in. Elena surprised, "Even for vamp speed that was fast" as she is eating what Caroline brought. Caroline ignoring Elena's timing question, "Do you want some help getting dressed?" Elena knowing her friend isn't going to give up any information, "I think so, what do you think I should do with my hair?"

With her hands in Elena's hair, Caroline's finger designing the brown strands in place, "How about a partial up'do? Let me work on it while you eat" Caroline uses a bit of vamp'ing to help Elena along, she knows that Damon is getting very antsy waiting for Elena to get through the tunnel. Elena is done eating, just as Caroline puts the last hairpin in. Caroline likes the finished look, "What do you think?" Elena looks in the mirror "I love it!" Caroline hurries her friend up, "Let's get you in the dress. This beautiful, I wonder where he got this from, I'm sure not from any of the Mystic Falls shops." Elena agreed as she stepped into it, turning so Caroline could zip the dress up. Elena wants to get a bit of information out of Care, "He thought of everything, right down to these amazing shoes. He is planning a celebration for the baby? Some sort of magical pregnancy ritual witch thing? Right?" she stares at Caroline looks for any sign of acknowledgement. Caroline looked at Elena "You look amazing, Damon is going to burst." Not getting what she wanted in any way, Elena turns to look in the mirror, turned for a side view, she wasn't sad, or even upset, she did see that her had a slight baby bump showing, she laughed. Caroline agreed, "He will notice and love it" she knew what Elena was thinking. Elena flattened her hands down the dress. Caroline concerned about her friend, "How are you feeling? Better?" Elena relaxed, "Much better, you better tell Damon that I'm ok, he is getting ready to start some spell that is going to cocoon me and the baby somehow." Caroline amused, "You have a point. Keep following the roses, you are almost there." Elena appreciates her friend, "Thanks, Care. Thanks for making sure I don't ruin this for myself too." Caroline winks at her and whooshes away.

Elena looks one more time in the mirror, and then takes one more bite. She is really looking forward to the romantic dinner that Damon is planning at the temple. He is celebrating the baby. Elena says out loud as she puts her hand on her stomach "Your father had a rough start, I guarantee he is going to be the best Dad. If you are a girl, I will truly believe that the universe really does have a voice in our lives." Elena laughs out loud as she follows the rose petal path, she thinks of a young version of her, another doppelganger bouncing on Damon's knee, her laughter echoes throughout the tunnel.

She see the light flickering in front of her, as she gets closer, she realizes it is the temple. Her eyes start to adjust to the additional light. There is Damon standing just beyond the entrance, he is wearing a tux, and so handsome. He looks straight into her eyes as he walks to her, she puts her arms out to hug him as he gets closer, he stops, he drops to one knee. Her hands retreat back to her chest with a deep breath "Damon!" Damon boosting, "I told you, you wouldn't have to guess. Elena Gilbert. I waited 173 years for you to come into my life, to change my life, to make me whole, to give me a soul, to give me a life. Now I ask that you give me the honor of being my life, my soul, my partner, my wife for the rest of my days on this earth and whatever existence is next. Will you please marry me?" Damon opens a small ring box with a large princess cut diamond surrounded by sapphires and diamonds. Elena goes pale "Yes, I will, But, Damon, catch me" as she falls into his arms.

Damon "Elena. Elena... Stefan get some water, she is passed out." Damon has Elena in his arms, smiling, almost peacocking. Elena slowly opens her eyes "Damon, we are getting married tonight, aren't we?" Damon nods, "Yes, Baby, we are!" Damon smirks, "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to figure it out. Slowly, Elena, we have all the time in the world. You already said Yes before you passed out. I have witnesses." Elena looked up, Caroline, Stefan, Jeremy, Ric and Bonnie were all there with worried looks on their faces. Elena feeling better, "Can I stand up now?" Damon released her legs, still firmly holding on to her waist. She looked around, the temple was decorated with candles, vines, flowers and floating candles in the pond. The fire pits were blazing.

Stefan brought Elena some water that was fizzing, she knew he has 'added' his touch to it. She drank it down slowly at first, when she immediately felt better, she gulped the rest of it down. Elena handed the glass back "Thank you Stefan, may I have a little more." Stefan relieved, "Coming right up" Elena looks up at her brother, "Jeremy, when did you get in?" Jeremy resting his hand on her shoulder, "I wasn't going to miss my sister getting married, even if it is to this dick." Slapping Damon on his back like a brother would. Stefan hands the glass back to Elena, she nurses this glass slowly as she stands next to Damon.

Damon gets everyone's attention, "Excuse me, everyone, now that Elena is conscious, there is a bit of formality to dispense with." He brings the box from his pocket, pulls out the ring, and puts it on her left ring finger. "Now that makes it official, you, Ms. Gilbert are officially engaged. Shall we get this engagement party started?"

Ric hits the remote and the music starts playing, Matt pours a drink to make the first toast about loving Elena first and keep an eye on Damon to treat her right, she blushes then hugs him, Damon shakes his hand and tells him that he will always cherish her. Ric toasts to family, then congratulates the Dick for getting the girl. Jeremy makes sure Damon knows that Hunters can still kill ex-vampires as easy as vampires. Caroline let's Damon know that even thought she is his family, Elena was first and she can still beat him up.

Bonnie takes a moment "I guess I should say something about two of my best friends getting married. Right now, it doesn't feel like something that is weird or different. If you would have asked me 8 years old ago my answer would have been different. But today, you two belong together, the journey that you went through, I see now, you have always belonged together, no matter what I or anyone else saw or thought back then. I want to say, I'm sorry for not seeing it earlier. Elena, do you remember the day before the big bonfire, before the car crash, you and I went to the Grill lunch, you were teasing me about my psychic abilities. Do you remember?" Elena looked at Bonnie, she nodded yes. Bonnie asked "When I held your hand, what did I tell you I saw in your future?" Elena looked at Bonnie then she looked at Damon, she started re-telling all the words that Bonnie had said all those years ago, "You told me you saw, me smiling walking in the fog, with a crow flying over me, surrounded by blood." Everyone was quiet. Bonnie realized that she had predicted their relationship, "I never understood that vision, I forgot about it until last night, I dreamt it again. Damon was always intended to watch over you, to be your protector, he is the crow, his fog covered you, his blood kept you alive. Everything that was coming for you, Damon had coming into your life to protect you from it. No one knew, not even Damon." Damon's eyes were bright, he had never heard this, he wasn't sure he could believe this. Bonnie walks to Damon and takes his hand, "Yes, my friend, you have always been hers. Neither one of you knew it. The fates decided your destiny long ago. We just got in the way. I am sorry."

Elena reminiscing about Bonnie's conversation so long ago, looking around, when the look on Damon's face caught her attention, "Damon, what are you thinking?" Damon looked around at all his family, "Honestly, I was thinking about my mission for coming back to Mystic Falls. It wasn't about being your protector, it wasn't about you at all. It was about the comet and getting Katherine out of the tomb." Stefan interrupted, "Damon, Katherine was never in the tomb. The fates knew that. You spent 150 years focused on Katherine, someone who looked just like Elena, or maybe the fates were keeping your focused on Elena, the doppelganger that was worth saving, the one that would be the true savior of us. Katherine was the fill-in until Elena was ready for you. Katherine was never worthy of you or your protection. She was never worth of either of us, and the fates knew that, they just had to keep us occupied until Caroline and Elena came around. Hey, it is my turn to toast the engaged couple." Stefan moves to the middle of the group.

Stefan takes a drink of bourbon, "I have to admit I have been waiting a long time for this moment. For over 150 years I never thought I would get the opportunity. Because of one woman, I get to stand before you and tell you a story. And the story starts like this, my brother was my best friend, then my sworn enemy, my rescuer, and now we are brothers bonded in magic for entity. I thought Elena was the love of my life before she taught me what love was by loving my brother, she became my sister without ever telling me I needed one, because of her, I found the love of my life, my wife, because of her I got my brother back, because of her I got my life back, my soul. I toast my brother for doing all the wrong things for the right reasons until he met the person who showed him doing the right things for the right reasons is even better." Everyone clinks their glasses together, toasting Elena and Damon.

Damon overwhelmed by his brother's words, "Brother, I wish I could take issue with any of your words. But I can't. I knew nothing of what being in love was or what is was to be loved. Elena Gilbert changed that for me. She fought to keep my eyes clear. Even when I thought all was lost, she was in the background, fighting for my soul, for our love, never letting it go. She continues to prove how much stronger we are together, I ever was alone, even with vampire strength. Because of that strength, we have an amazing future, and I how powerful the magic of love is. To my bride, before her I was nothing, with her, I have everything." Everyone Toasts again.

Elena pulls on Damon's jacket lapels to whisper in his ear "I'm ready. I want to be married to you now." Damon looks down into Elena's big brown eyes, the look on this face is pure joy. Damon raises his hands "Ok, everyone Engagement Party is over, my fiancé is tired of her title, she wants to change it to… Spouse." Silence comes over the group. Damon demands "Caroline, you're up!" Caroline jumps, "OH! Places everyone! They are getting married NOW!" Elena smiles. Caroline turns to her, "Ok, let's get the bride ready, you to follow us!" takes Elena by the hand. Ric and Jeremy follow them. Elena isn't really sure what the plan is. Elena not sure what is going on, "Care, What's the plan, where are we going? Are we going to the courthouse?" Caroline confidently leads the way, "Nope, Damon and I have everything figuring out. Ric and Jeremy are giving you away, the twins are your flower girls, I'm the maid of honor, Stefan is best man, and Bonnie is marrying you guys, she is a Wiccan priestess for the witchy part and she is legal from online ordained. Now let's get down to wedding business, your necklace is blue & new, your earrings are old – Stefan found them in a safe in the plantation, they must have been part of a founders party and never returned until now. Now for the borrowed, Bonnie bought this for my wedding to Stefan, so I think you should borrow it for yours." Caroline pulls out her tiara and places it on top of Elena's hair, then puts the veil.

Stefan comes over with two bowls from the altar "Elena, we are hoping to give you a wish, we are going to need some doppelganger blood, and do you mind?" Elena holds out her wrist, Stefan takes a knife and cuts the skins, a stream of blood collects in the empty bowl after a few seconds, and Stefan takes Elena's wrist and dips it into the other bowl full of water. Instantly the cut disappears, heals completely. Elena understands what just happened, she takes some of the water in her hand and brings it to her mouth to drink. "Just a little for the baby, Uncle Stefan's magic makes him or her very happy." Stefan winks and takes the bowls to the large altar in front. Elena leans around Ric, she sees Bonnie cut herself, as does Stefan. Elena thinks two doppelgangers and Bennett Blood, they are performing a very powerful spell.

The music starts. Stefan, Bonnie, and Damon are standing side by side holding hands, all the elements are active, and Elena notices that their hands are covered with blood. The trio starts chanting, and raising their hands above their heads, the blood is caught in the swirling wind above their heads. Soon the wind swirl and opening, rays of sunlight pier through. 3 translucent images appear, Damon and Stefan let go of Bonnie and take their places. Elena stares at the images, not really seeing them clearly. The twins start walking down the aisle, and then they run toward Stefan. Caroline walks down next, Stefan watches her with all the love and cherishing that two people can have for one another. Elena sees Stefan's eyes, she knows he is happy. Her arms are intertwined with Ric and Jeremy, they start their stroll.

The outlines become more recognizable, it is her mom, dad and Jenna. She sees them, and they are looking at her, smiling at her. Elena cries, "Mom, Dad, Jenna are you really here!" Miranda answers, "Yes, our spirits are, we can see you, hear you, talk to you. We love you so much. We are so proud of you. We have seen you and watched you. Seen everything. We are so proud of you." Grayson talks to Damon, "Son, I'm sorry, I didn't know. Please accept my apology. I have seen you protect my daughter at all costs. I know you love her. I trust you will love her forever. My grandchildren are blessed to have you as a father. You know how to teach them not just to do good but what evil is and what it isn't. I'm so sorry." Damon listened as a tear ran down his cheek. "Elena we don't have much time, if we want them to be with us." Miranda nods, "Yes, I want to be here for this, please go." Elena continued toward the altar.

Thousands of thoughts were rushing through Damon's mind not all of them were good, he knew himself well enough now, he knew the self-destructive parts, how they worked, Elena taught him how to stop them. All of this was so good, so much better than good. He felt Stefan's hand on his shoulder, Damon turned his head to look at Stefan, Stefan leaned over and whispered in his ear "She deserves your love, you are the only person who can love her with the love she deserves. You know that. Only YOU, Brother. Only you!" Damon nodded his head and turned all his attention back to Elena, he had never seen her look so beautiful.

She moved her boutique of flowers, he couldn't catch his breath, his focus was on that gentle bump that barely disturbed the flow of the fabric of her dress, he heart couldn't stand how amazingly beautiful she is to him. His control was at its limit. He wanted nothing more than to run to her, take her in his arms, to feel her face. He blinked, he felt the softness of her fingers gently wipe away the tear that had escaped his eye. Elena leaned over to him and whispered, "You are perfect too." Ric grabs Damon's shoulder and whispers, "Hey, Dick, you got the girl forever now." Damon looks at him and nods. Jeremy takes his sisters hand and puts it in Damon's hand "She will always take care of us, whether we want it or not." Elena reaches up and kisses his cheek "Don't you forget it, there is nothing stronger than the bond of family". Elena hands Caroline her flower boutique, Damon takes both of her hands and wraps them behind her back, pulling her body close to his, he leans in to whisper, "TORTURE" Elena laughs out loud, and Caroline giggles. Damon releases Elena, they take a few steps toward Bonnie.

Bonnie begins the ceremony, "Today we come together on this sacred site of nature's truth, where the real source of magic comes from the earth and love. Despite many obstacles, many evils, and Damon (laughter from everyone) my two best friends stand here before all the people who they love and who love them to receive the magical blessing from the ancient bloodlines and legally bind themselves in matrimony. As the high Priestess of the Blood Magic line, I call upon the Bennett Bloodline to bless this union of Damon Salvatore, our brother earth/wind warlock and our magical blood sister Elena Gilbert" The candles flare and the feathers float. Elena leans over the Damon and whispers "they approve." Bonnie winks, she continues "I call upon the ancient bloodline of Nature's magic the brother twice, the balance of all, the corners of elements." Bonnie takes both Stefan and Damon's hands, Demetrius appears with hundreds of spirits around him, "We bless this union with the power of love and all the ancients hereby relinquish all powers to these brothers and their bloodlines from this day forth, may the Salvatore bloodline protect and honor natures magic with love and balance for the rest of time." Bonnie feel the power channel between Damon and Stefan, she didn't know exactly what just happened, but she knew they had received a gift. Damon and Stefan looked at each other and let Bonnie's hand go.

Damon stood by Elena, he took her hand in his, and waited for Bonnie to speak. Bonnie "Now that Damon and Elena's union has been magically blessed by both bloodlines. It is time for Damon and Elena to publically make their vows to each other to make it legal in the state of Virginia. Damon, you are up" Damon starts, "I've had time to think about this, three weeks two days and about 19 hours, I see you standing in front of me, and there are no words to describe how beautiful you are, you literally take my breath away, and when you to walked towards me, I had to pinch myself, and blink, I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I opened my eyes, and you were still walking towards me. Then, Jeremy put your hand in mine, I don't know how, I don't know when, my dreams because reality. But as of this moment, I promise to you, I no more questions, no more why, when, where, or how I got the girl. I promise to keep loving, earning, cherishing, protecting and deserving you. I promise to fight for us and never ever stop, whether I'm breathing or not. I vow to love you until the end of time."

Bonnie was deeply impressed, she never heard Damon so heartfelt and emotional, "Wow, that was good. Ok girl, Elena, your turn."

Elena tearing, "Once upon a time the word forever, scared me to death. You change that for me, forever became another word for hope and love. I stand before you, and I pledge to you the rest of my forever, without fear, without anguish or concern. My heart, my soul, my life is yours, Damon, forever, until the end of time." Damon grabs Elena, bends her backwards, and kisses her passionately.

Bonnie laughs, "WE aren't at that part yet Damon." Laughter erupts. Damon's lips are still completely attached to Elena's as he says, "I am". Elena pushes gently on Damon's chest, "You can wait a few more minutes." Damon stands up, "Get on with it Bon," Bonnie motions to the twins, "Honey Bears, can you bring Uncle D and Auntie E rings to me?" The twins jump up, Lizzie answers, "coming Auntie BeeBee" running to Bonnie, they stop and wait for their Auntie BeeBee kiss before standing by Mom. Bonnie takes the rings two platinum bands with diamond insets in the middle. Bonnie continues, "These rings have been consecrated in the presence of the ancient ones, they have been blessed by both bloodlines, they are filled by diamonds that have memories of the pure love shared by Grayson and Miranda Gilbert." She hands them to Damon and Elena. Elena puts the ring on Damon's finger "With this ring I thee wed, forever." Damon puts the ring on Elena's finger "With this ring I thee wed, forever". Bonnie "Now with the power granted to me by the state of Virginia, I legally pronounce you spouses. Damon you may NOW, kiss your wife." Damon exasperated, "Finally" he takes Elena into his arms, leans her over and plants the most passionate kiss he has ever come up with, after a few moments have gone by, he rights her. Drops to his knees, and puts his hands on her stomach and kisses her little baby bump, "Now my child, you are safe."

Damon stands up and takes Elena in his arms, and carries her down the aisle. Elena grins, "Damon, put me down, just a second" .. She walks over to her parents outlines "Mom Dad, thank you, thank you for everything you done for me. "I have so many questions, about Isabelle and John, but right now, they just don't seem so important. I am almost a mother and realize that you made decisions for the benefit of me, thinking of only what was best for me. So thank you. Some day, when we're back together, you can answer all those questions, but for now, I'll know that you are watching over us, you are happy and you'll know that I love you." With that statement, Miranda, Grayson and Jenna disappeared, Jeremy hugged his sister, "You are amazing, I'm so lucky to have you as a sister."

Stefan hands Damon a glass of bourbon, "For finally getting it right, Brother." Ric, Jeremy, Enzo and Matt's glasses are already in the air waiting for Damon to join. The sounds of glass clinking followed by gulping sounds and laughter, makes Elena turn her head, Caroline argues, "I'm telling you, there are two heartbeats" Elena disagrees, "Caroline, the Dr already did the ultrasound, there is only one baby and one heart," Caroline distracted, "Girls, be careful, you don't want to get your dresses dirty." Elena turned to look at Caroline "Care, seriously, there is dirt everywhere, exactly how are you going to keep them clean, Uncle D isn't going to help at all, he's got them trying to catch dirt balls with wind swirls. Ever since you told him that you trust him with the girls, he's been letting them siphon him every chance he gets. I caught his laying in the front yard the other day, the girls were holding on to his knees, doing sparkler spells that Bonnie taught them. He loved every minute of it. He said that Stefan did a cloaking spell so no one could see them." Damon stretches out his hand "Wife, Can I have this dance?" Elena puts her hand in his, "It is tradition." Stefan follows "My brother is only getting married once, I better take advantage, Wife, Can I have this dance?" Caroline repeats, "It is tradition." Bonnie and Enzo follow suit, the twins take Ric, Jeremy and Matt as their personal dance party.

Damon holding Elena tightly, "I can't figure out what I want more right now, to stay at this party or to get the honeymoon started." Elena answers for him, "Honeymoon, Oh my god, my fictional honeymoon, pregnant with my fictional baby. How did this happen?" she laughed, Damon couldn't help it, he had to smile on that one too. Damon "Boy, did we not play that game right. Actually, I did talk to the doctor, and she said we could travel. Tomorrow we are leaving for a surprise destination. That still doesn't help me on right now, this moment, this dress, your body and the things I want to do to it. Tough problem." Enzo glides Bonnie closer, "Mate, you have changed, a vamp speed to the nearest dark corner would have been in order." Damon covers Elena's ear with his hands "Excuse me, not in front of my wife." Bonnie and Elena laugh out loud.

Damon motioned to Enzo, they changed partners "Thank you, you were amazing, I couldn't have asked for a better person to marry us. How do you feel? I know you felt the ancients' power relinquished to us." Bonnie answers, "Yea, I felt it." Damon concerned, "Are you and.. ok?" Bonnie looks at Enzo, making sure he attention was focused on his conversation with Elena "Yes, I am fine, everything is fine, I felt a moment of charging, nothing more." Damon worried, "Are you worried about anything" his eyes looking at Enzo. Bonnie nodded, "No, not at all, the wedding has been a priority, you and Elena needed a moment that was yours. And then, we will have our moment." Bonnie laid her head on Damon's shoulder, he whispered in her hair, knowing that Enzo couldn't hear, "I'm so happy our kids will grow up together."

Stefan tapped Damon on the shoulder, "My turn, I want some Bonnie time." Damon bowed, and took Caroline's hand, lead her directly into a spin. Caroline immediately became dizzy, when Damon pulled her back into his arms, she looked pale, and grasped his shoulder tight, to the point of actually hurting him, "Care, are you ok?" Caroline steadied herself, "Yes, just caught me off balance a bit, not sure I should have worn these heels." Damon felt a little hand tugging on the back of his pants. He looked down, it was Lizzie, "It is my turn, Uncle D." Damon bowed to Caroline with the most official 1860's gentlemen bow, "Ma'am I'm afraid, I'm amiss, I have reserved this selection on another's dance card." He turns and repeats the bow to Lizzie, picks her up and begins a Founders Day Waltz. Josie is not happy, Stefan decided to detour any issues, he walks over to her, mimics Damon's bow, "Ms Josie, may I please have this dance?" Josie giggles, "Zio.. You are silly." Stefan responds, "Ms Josie, is that a yes." Josie says, "Yes, Zio." She jumps into Stefan's arm and off they go.

Jeremy walks over to Elena, "Hey, since this is Founder Waltz time, we are founding family members, may I, sister?" he bows, Elena curtsies, they join the dance. Enzo and Bonnie add to the couples. Ric and Matt are talking with bourbon in their hands, Caroline walks directly over to them "Excuse me" Both look up at the same time. Caroline demands, "Seriously, how am I the only one not dancing, you two get it together, Matt, you can start, then Ric after the 4th turn you can come in and take over." She takes Matt hand and drags him, as he hands Ric his glass. Ric just smiles, that's Caroline. Caroline gets straight to the point as only Caroline can, "Isn't it time you started meeting people again?" Matt changes the topic, "Well, hello, Caroline, the wedding was nice, the twins are growing up so fast. Why yes the sheriff department has me so busy. God, Care, you jump straight in." Caroline replies, "Yes, Matt, we are all pairing up, it's time for you and Ric to think about finding a person to pair with. We all want you to be happy" Matt sends her into a turn, "Care, you always play the matchmaker when you're in a happy relationship, and you are going to be impossible now that Damon and Elena are happily married." Matt twirls Caroline, she stumbles gently into his arms, Matt "You ok" Caroline "Wow, Fred Astaire, you are a really good dancer" Matt feels Ric taps "Her Majesty demanded" and made the gentlemen's bow, Caroline backs up with a curtsy of her own, "Thank you Matt" She takes Ric's hand. As Matt let's go "Get ready for the you should be dating speech" Ric "I've been hearing that one for a while now" Caroline snarls, "It's not a speech, it is just a healthy reminder of what an amazing person you are. How incredibly lucky some woman will be to have you in her life." Ric "You know I don't know this dance at all, you should have stayed dancing with Matt, he knows all the steps." "Daddy, Daddy, Look at me, I'm dancing" Lizzie says as she passes by in Damon's arms. Josie adds "Zio and I are dancing faster, Daddy, Mommy watch us."

Caroline tries to watch, she smiles, Ric notices she doesn't look quite so normal "Care, are you ok?" Caroline says, "Yes, I'm fine, it's been a long day, I don't think I've had enough to drink." Ric asks, "Can I help? Where are the blood bags?" Stefan was by her side "You need to feed?" Caroline answers, "I got a little weak, it's ok, I'll be fine, I can feed a little later. I just want to sit for a while. Josie can you dance with Daddy for me, so Zio can get me a drink of water?" Josie is excited, "Daddy, Let's dance" Ric picks up Josie and twirls her around in circles. Stefan looks at Caroline, "You aren't doing ok. When did you last feed?" Caroline thinks about it, "This morning I had an entire blood bag, I don't understand, that was plenty to last me all day." Stefan "You need to feed some more, that is why you are so weak, let's dance, I have an idea, the girls will not notice." Stefan takes Caroline in his arms tightly, he puts her head close jacket, pulls her hand high toward her mouth and holds it with his thumb, exposing his wrist to her mouth, while her arm covered everything, It simply looked they were romantically slow dancing as Caroline fed to regain some of her strength. Stefan worried why she was getting weak so fast, he knew this wasn't normal for a vampire. He held her tight, and kept her feeding from everyone.

The time honored tradition of cutting the cake had approached. Elena stood in front of a 3 tiered, elegantly decorated wedding cake, crowned with a glass sculpture. Damon he presented an aged rectangle box as he walked over to the table "Open it" he said. Her eyes opened wide, inside was her parent wedding cake knife. As she picked it up, Damon "I found it in the attic of the Lakehouse. I knew you would like to have it part of our day." Elena noticed the engraving of her parents names and the date they were married, and underneath, Elena Gilbert Salvatore & Damon Salvatore with today's date. She looked up "Nice touch Mr. Salvatore." Damon replied, "Go for it, cut the cake, Mrs. Gilbert Salvatore." Elena looked at him with a crooked smile "Me cut it, don't you mean WE cut it?" Damon wasn't completely sure of the tradition, "I cut the cake? That is ok, I think you can cut cake just fine." Elena did a snarky laugh with that statement, "You didn't read up on this wedding tradition, did you? Get over here, old man. Now put your hand on top of mine, we cut together." Damon did as he was told, not understanding why at all. They cut a piece of cake, and Elena served it onto a plate, Damon reached for a fork. Elena grabbed a piece of cake with her fingers, "This is the way we do it in Mystic Falls" and shoved it into Damon's mouth, getting most of it into his mouth, with just a bit of icing around his lip lines. Bonnie and Caroline laugh out loud. Damon smirks, "The husband gets a turn too" He takes a big piece in his fingers, and slowly moves it toward Elena's lips, he circles her lips lines with the icing, touches the corner of her lip with his thumb, puts half of the piece of cake on her tongue, reaches down with is mouth and takes the rest of the piece in his mouth, follows up with a full open mouth kiss, lingering his tongue around her lips to catch any icing leftovers. As he pulls away "I could get into this wedding tradition."

The evening continued with family fun, the twins enjoyed attention from all the adults, Ric and Caroline sat and watched their children being cherished by this extended family that somehow was brought together by a web of grief, violence and most of all love. Ric leaned into Caroline, "You did it. I don't know how, but you did it. You brought me back to life in every sense of the word. You made me a family, you gave me the girls, you showed me I can love again then you made me see, I deserve to be loved, and now, I'm sitting here in the middle of this amazing crazy family surrounded by life and love. You did this for me. You went from being my friend to my salvation, to me wanting you, to loving you, to gently breaking my heart, and you never left my side during any of it, I came out of all that grief and pain with a life partner, friend, and sister that I know will always be there for me, who I'm honored to the mother of our girls. You, Caroline Forbes Salvatore, are a miracle." Caroline emotional, "Your Alaric Salzman are drunk" Ric stated confidently, "Not even a little!" as he gets up, he kisses her cheek. Caroline touches his face as he straightens, "I love you too" The twins are on their way toward Caroline with big pieces of cake, "Mommy, Look what Uncle D gave us, it is so yummy, we are going to eat by the fire bowls, do you want to come with us?" Caroline answered, "I can see you from here, you two stay together, try not to get any dirtier, those are pretty dresses." And off the twins ran, as fast as they can. Stefan sit down next to her "Well, I have a feeling a sugar rush is going to be followed by a major meltdown." Stefan has a fork full of cake "Would you like a bite?" Caroline opens her mouth, Stefan's smears a bit of icing on her lips, his lips replace the fork and his tongue glides over the icing sending erotic currents through her body. He captures her mouth in a kiss, she leans into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him tight, opening her mouth, enticing him to deepen his possession. Caroline pushes on Stefan's chest "You make me forget where we are." Stefan smugly, "I like when you forget where we are, I like that I can make you loosen that control of yours. It makes me ache for you." Stefan lifts her up and settles her on his lap, "Right now, I could create a wall of fire around us, strip you of your clothes, make love to you until our skin matches the heat of the flames." Caroline's eyes started vamp'ing, she closed her mouth on his and took their kiss to a level, even he was not prepared for. Stefan lowered his head, kissing a trail down her neck, stopping at her collarbone, "Care, I have to stop, or I will not be able too. I will have to have you, right here, right now, in front of everyone." That got Caroline's attention. The twins were 30 feet away blissfully unaware of their mother's wanton behavior. Caroline stood up and walked away. Stefan took a deep breath, crossed his legs, and leaned forward, he thought 'damned my wife for just leaving me like this. Torture'.

Stefan looked around, he saw the closest friends and family he had ever had, gathered together talking and loving each other. Stefan in a loud voice, "As the Best Man, I get to toast the bride and groom. If you would have asked me 10 years ago, would I be standing up here that my brother's wedding, having hard time choosing from the many amazing, wonderful memories that I have with him, I would have told you, you are crazy. Everyone here knows it for the last hundred and fifty plus years Damon and I have had a hard time figuring out how to be brothers. And then one day, this woman came into our lives, her name is Elena. That one day, changed our lives forever. Damon didn't know he had first laid eyes on a woman that would help him find hope, that wouldn't repair his heart, and complete his soul. I did not understand, I had met my future sister, the person that would bring my brother and I back together, would heal us, help us create a bond that is now unbreakable. The Salvatore Brothers did not know that we had met our savior. I ask you to join me in holding my glass up to toast the union of Damon and Elena, my brother and sister, in wishing them forever happiness." Damon walked over and hugged his brother "No words, brother, just no words" he said with appreciation. Elena leaned up and kissed his cheek "You saved me too, never forget that!"

Caroline starts her toast, "As matron of honor, I get to say a few words, although, Stefan didn't leave many for me to say. Everyone knows that I wasn't exactly Team Damon when Elena let her feelings be known. My relationship with Damon over the past 4 years has been unexpected. Today, I stand here and say that this man, Damon Salvatore has fulfilled the most deepest desire I have ever had, one that not even, Elena, my truest friend since before, I can remember, has known." Caroline paused, she realized that everyone was looking at her, especially Damon. Caroline has an inner smile, she really had him on this one, she was going to play with it for just a little longer. She took Stefan's hand, and squeezed, hoping to give him the signal, not to worry, she had Damon just where she wanted him. "My secret might not exactly be appropriate for to reveal at a wedding, I should have told Elena before now, but Damon is the only man on this planet who could make it come true and today, is the today I get to say Thank you with all my heart. Thank you so much for making Elena Gilbert, my sister." The laughter roared, Damon actually exhaled, he hugged her, whispered, "I'm not sure if I should say you're welcome or get you a cigarette." Caroline looked smugly at him. Elena was next in line with the hugs "We have always been sisters!" said as she embraced her official sister Caroline Salvatore.

Stefan slid his arms around her waist and nestled his chin into her shoulder, "For the record, I knew you were up to something before you took my hand, but the look on Damon's face was worth it all, good job wife"

Damon and Elena kissed passionately while everyone clapped and laughed. The music continued to play as everyone started to talk among themselves, when someone started clinking a glass to get everyone's attention.

Damon stopped tapping his champagne glass when everyone was looking at him, "Family, 8 months ago, I got the privilege of officiating the marriage of my brother and this amazing woman I get to call my sister. They taught us what love looked like, they pledged their lives together while we waged a war with hell. Their reception was cut short, more importantly, I didn't get to give my best man speech. So from this point on, this is now the Salvatore Family Reception and I am finally going to give my speech. Damon walks over to Stefan, puts his hand on Stefan's shoulder. "That wedding was forced to draw out our enemy. What we didn't realize at the time was the lessons that Stef and Care were teaching us. No matter what the battle or war is, love will always give us strength. Listening to Stefan and Caroline explain how they felt about each other, knowing." Damon paused and shook his head, "NO, they expected, a full-on attack from our enemies any second, yet they were still pouring their hearts out to one another, it was inspiring. They are partners, trusting, and respecting in life, in battle, in love. It may not have been the wedding of their dreams, there is no doubt, these two people are exactly as they should be from that day, every day, this day and tomorrow. My toast is to Stefan and Caroline may their love live in each heartbeat that carries it."

Bonnie looks at Damon as she stands up, their eyes meet. Bonnie looks around, "I'm glad we are doing this today, and not on that day. I was so filled with sadness, I wasn't able to give a speech of happiness as I can today. I look around, I see my family, in love, with realities brought about by one person. By Stefan. He will tell you that so many losses are his fault, I look around, I realize every decision he made was a sacrifice for one of our lives, he has sacrificed his humanity for each of us, with the trust that we his family, would find a way to bring him, he knew we could, and we always did, he trusted us, yet he stills blames himself, even though he saved our lives, the twins, Elena, Damon, myself. Yet, I look around, because of his trust, I see Damon holding a pregnant Elena in his arms smiling genuinely happy, Caroline and Ric are holding their sleeping daughters, Stefan and Caroline are married and blissfully happy, Matt is Sheriff of a thriving community and he is ready to happy again, Ric is putting together a school for the supernatural children of the world, how crazy is that. And I'm here with Enzo, alive and in the flesh, because Stefan sacrificed himself, he wouldn't let Katherine harm any of us, any longer." Bonnie paused, she looked at Damon and nodded her head "Damon, I'm ready. Enzo, we could be alone, this is our family. I know you will understand why I'm doing now in just a minute, can come here with me?"

Bonnie reached out waiting for him to touch her hand. With his hand in hers, she guided him to sit in front of her, she didn't let his hand go. "Please be patient with me for just another minute, I promise everyone will understand. When Stefan gave Damon the cure, the domino effect is still being felt in ways that none of us ever dreamed. Damon and Stefan are the destiny High Priest Witches of Natures Full Magic, the most power warlocks of modern-day, Stefan's doppelganger blood addition made the spell work to bring you back, Damon and I checked, without it, I would have lost you forever, the spell would not have worked. Enzo, we wouldn't have a family." Bonnie looks at Damon, "Damon go ahead, lower the cloaking spell. Stefan's blood tipped the scales, it made the natures magic and Bennett blood magic strong enough to bind them to your spirit to re-create your human organs. That's why you can't live on human blood only, the only part of you that is a vampire is your bones, everything else is human. I guess, what I'm trying to say, is Stefan, I want to thank you for your sacrifices, and even for taking Enzo away from me. Because, if you didn't, you couldn't have brought him back to me, and we couldn't have made our family. Enzo, can you hear?"

Damon chants and waves his hands, a cool breeze swirls and stops as quickly as it began. Enzo puts his hand on Bonnie's stomach, he looks up at her, "It can't be" Bonnie continues to explain, "Damon and I have done every test, check and double-check, it is. We double-checked the doctors too." Bonnie leans down and whispers in Enzo's ear "Can I tell everyone it's a girl?" Enzo mumbles in surprise, "A Girl" Everyone exclaims, "Girl" Bonnie smiles "Yes, during the 'testing, we had to be sure, the Bennett bloodline spell determines magical capabilities and gender basically from day one."

Enzo stands up at vamp speed, goes to Damon, grabs him by the neck "On Elena's life, Damon, Elena's life. Is Bonnie in danger?" Damon demands, "Enzo, put me down!" Enzo not realizing what he was doing, puts Damon back on the ground, Damon puts his hand on Enzo shoulder and looks him straight in the eye, "It's ok, on Elena and our baby's life, Bonnie and your little lady are healthy. We have two perfectly healthy pregnant women on our hands. I suggest we stock up on pickles and ice cream." Everyone is surrounding Bonnie, Ric moves to the side, and then Matt, a path between Bonnie and Stefan clears. There are tears in each of their eyes, Stefan takes 3 giant steps toward Bonnie, and she jumps into his arms. Stefan holds her tightly, "Bonnie, I love you so much, I'm so happy for you and Enzo. I never ever meant for you to hurt, ever." Bonnie with tears staining her cheeks, "Stefan, I know, I always knew, I just couldn't get past the pain. I'm so sorry. I was always happy for you and Caroline. Always."

Enzo back at Bonnie's side, "Love, are you sure? A baby? Really? Mine, I mean, Ours? I don't understand." Bonnie puts her hands on Enzo's cheeks, "Yes, my love, our little girl is safely cooking inside me." Damon explains, "Excuse me, Little Bennett witch to be exact, just like her mom." said with a gleam in his eye. Bonnie turned her head, "Yes, Enzo, she is a Bennett witch through and through, Damon was hoping she would have some Nature's magic, she doesn't, she is all blood magic. She is safe and healthy, like the Bennett's before her, the entire bloodline is protecting her now." Enzo went down to his knees, he put his ear to his daughter, he could hear her heartbeat, he couldn't stop the tears as they left his eyes. He looked up at Stefan, "Mate, I was wrong, we will never be square again. I will owe you for the rest of my existence." Stefan walks over to Enzo, they embrace with sincere joy, "Hatchet buried my friend, we have children to raise and protect together." Elena had her arms around Bonnie, tears streaming down her face "When did this happen, we grew up, we survived, and now we are all Mothers."

Enzo's eyes widen, his legs shift, his posture straightens, his voice takes on an army general's tone "WAIT" Damon starts laughing out loud, "I was wondering when he was going to put it together." Elena questions "What are you talking about?" Damon puts his arm around her, "You'll see, just wait for it." Enzo towers over Bonnie and looks her straight in the eyes, "Bonnie Bennett, You are the mother of my child. My daughter!" Bonnie smiles and reaches up to touch his face, "Yes, Enzo, she will be here in the spring". Enzo not wanting to be soothed, he takes her hand in his and starts pulling her toward the cars, "THAT DOES IT, we are leaving now... Matthew.. Can you get the judge or pastor, someone out of bed, now? Tell them it is an emergency of the highest order."

Matt looks around at everyone trying to figure out what is happening, "Why? What is going on? What's the emergency?" Bonnie tugs at Enzo's arm, "Enzo, what is wrong? Why do we need a judge? What is the emergency? Talk to me? You are scaring me? Damon stop laughing, what is so funny? Stefan, not you too."

Bonnie's words stop Enzo in his tracks, her worried tone, he doesn't want to scare her, he also was going to solve this problem now. He realized another answer, he looked around and found the person who could solve it, stared right at him, Damon nodded his head back at his friend wordlessly supporting his friend's cause. Enzo getting the support he needed took Bonnie's hands in his and looked straight into her eyes "You, the amazing love of my life are going to marry me tonight, actually NOW, Damon, you can marry us NOW."

Bonnie's head is about to explode, "WHAT... Wait. Hold on. Enzo, stop." Enzo is not taking any pity on Bonnie "NO, we aren't waiting one more minute. My daughter has been alive long enough without having married parents. Damon, let's get started!"

Elena and Caroline are dizzy from all the movement, Ric and Jeremy are confused from all the laughter coming from Damon and Stefan. Elena finally gets her wits together and hits Damon's arm, she reminds him, "You have to help Bonnie, she doesn't want to get married like this. You know this isn't her style. Damon, she is your best friend. Our best friend. She needs to get married for real and the right way. Damon… Do something!" Damon regains control, he pats Elena's hand that is on his arm. He looks at Bonnie who is in tears and takes pity on his best friend, he walks over and puts his hand on his buddy's shoulder "ENZO, breath Buddy it isn't 1890. Let's just take a minute, you don't have to rush this. Stefan and I, we totally understand where you are coming from, we know how you think, how you were raised. Trust me, I had my share of 21st-century issues with Elena. Here's what your focus has to be, your daughter's safety and happiness. Look at all these people here, no one is going to let anyone harm her in any way." Enzo looks around at all the faces of his 'family', each one of them nodding.

Damon slaps him on the back with a bit more force, "Let's face it, you gotta give Bonnie a minute or two, maybe she just doesn't want to marry you." That got Enzo's attention and Bonnie's, she turned her head and saw the glimmer in Damon's eye that was followed by a wink. She knew he was setting her up to take over, so she did "I don't know if I want to marry him or not, he hasn't asked, he simply demanded. No pregnant woman wants to be told to do anything, let alone to get married "NOW" like a dog" for dramatic effect, Bonnie followed up with a "heel & sit". Bonnie continued "If I were to marry you, I will be ask properly, I will have a wedding for us, I will not tell our daughter that we got married at her Uncle and Aunt's wedding because father was an Old fashion sexist pig that did not support the battles women had won fighting for her rights since he was born."

Caroline cheered "That was a good one, go Bon" Jeremy laughs, knowing full well from experience Enzo has completely lost this battle. Enzo tries to convince her, "Bonnie, I come from a time, well, a gentleman doesn't get his lady, his love, in a way, without doing the right thing."

Bonnie straightens up her posture "I'm thrilled to hear that you are going to teach our daughter how a gentleman does the right thing, 2019 style, with photos and memories that our daughter will be proud of. She is a St. John but make no mistake she is a full Bennett witch." Enzo drops to his knees, puts his hands on Bonnie's stomach "Your mother is strong, powerful, a bit stubborn and knows exactly what she wants. I already know that you are going to be just like her."

Enzo looks up at Bonnie, he pulls a box from his pocket "Ok, the right way, in front of all our family, Bonnie Bennett, I have had this in my pocket for the past 3 weeks – you can ask Damon. I've been trying to find the right words to ask you, to tell you how much you mean to me, although I still don't have them put together in the way of a master poet or a composer would, perhaps the words that come out will not even make sense." Enzo opens the box, Bonnie looks down at the most exquisitely shaped oval diamond surrounded by green emeralds set in a platinum ring "Today you gave me something that never ever enter my mind as possible. It wasn't even a dream. I spent an existence looking for parts of a long lost family that was diluted, but not really part of me. Today, you gave me, a family of my very own. Magic, love, fate, destiny, or all the above, the only truth I can see, is I belong to you as long as you will have me. Please, please be my wife, my life?"

Bonnie with tears in her eyes "Yes.. oh yes" Enzo stands up, Bonnie is in his arms, his lips are over hers before her feet leave the ground. Stefan wraps Caroline in his arms, Damon takes Elena in his arms and kisses her. Jeremy announces "Ok, I'm happy for everyone, too much mushy, I need a drink, where's the bourbon?." Matt and Ric "Agreed"

The music continued to play, the couples mingled, each of the men shared the ladies for a dance or two. It was Stefan's turn with Bonnie, he held her tight "I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to hold you like this. I thought that our friendship was gone forever, and I never ever wanted that." Bonnie "Stefan, today is about the future and everything that comes with it. You and I both feel it, there is something new coming. We are stronger, we are more equipped to fight. We also have more to lose. The past is gone. You and I, we are family, now and forever." Damon taps on Stefan's shoulder "Does a BFF get one more turn on the dance floor?" Stefan let's go of Bonnie, "Speaking of BFF's, I will go find your wife, brother" Damon takes Bonnie into his arms "You are glowing, Bon Bon" Bonnie swaying to the music, "Thank you for everything, you really came through for both of us, all of us, Damon. What has got into you." Damon grumpy, "Don't know, this witchy thing, it's messing with my mojo." Damon twirls her around and brings her back into his arms "What can I say Bon Bon, I'm going soft in my old age" Bonnie "No, Damon, the real you just can't hide anymore. You've always been a goodie" Enzo taps "Damon, I'd like to hold my girls now" Damon agrees, "You definitely have your hands full, Mate, with your Girls."

Damon walks away, looking around, finding Elena dancing with Jeremy. Ric and Stefan each have a twin resting on a shoulder, gently swaying to the music while talking to Caroline. Damon walks over to join. Caroline puts her fingers over her lips before Damon can speak a word. Stefan speaks with a lower rhythmic voice "The twins are sleeping, we are discussing getting them home and in bed. Our flower girls have been partied out." Caroline "I can take them back to the house" Damon "Look at Elena and Bonnie they are almost sleeping on their feet. Jeremy is basically holding Elena up, she is so tired. Care, you are looking like you could use some rest yourself. Let's put this wedding day literally to bed. I'll go tell the dancers. Everyone can crash at the house."

All the nods agree to the plan, Ric & Stefan follow Caroline to Ric's car. Damon taps Jeremy "I think it is time to head back to the house. Do you have to head out or can you stay around for a while?" Jeremy "I can stay for a couple of days, not much more than that. Elena is ready to call it quits." Elena disagrees, "I am not. I'm having an amazing wedding. It is the best time. I could dance all night." Damon sweeps Elena into his arms "You, my wife are going to relax and take care of my growing child inside of you by getting some much needed rest. No arguments" Elena puts her arms around Damon's neck, laid her head on his shoulder and decided to have the argument when they were home alone in their bedroom, she many times to tell him about his possessiveness. He was going to get a mighty talking to. She was asleep before they reached the car.


	16. Chapter 16 -What is Normal

Chapter 16 – What is Normal

After the wedding, back at the Salvatore Mansion, night has fallen and the house has started to settle in. The families have headed to their unique personal areas of the mansion.

In Stefan & Caroline's room, Caroline is making busywork, folding the twins' clothes, she is vamp'ing around more than necessary. Stefan is sitting at his desk, attempting to write in his journal, mostly watching Caroline. He knows something is on her mind. He loves to watch her work it out, the process that his wife uses to figure out an issue in her mind has always amazed him, the start where all the thought rush in at one time, some would call it narcotic. She then took one factor at a time, and decided whether it was important or not until she had all the concerns put together, to start talking. He just stared at her, zipping back and forth in their room. She was almost ready to talk, he could tell, the corners of his mouth started to slide upward. Caroline slowed to a human pace as she closed the top drawer of their dresser, "Stefan, do you think that nature's magic can have an impact on all vampires? The immorality spell is older than the dark magic that created the Originals. Your magic is all of nature's magic before it was removed from Qetsiyah. Do you think that nature's magic can affect vampires like it affects humans?"

Stefan leans his chin onto his palms, "I'm not sure how to answer the question. I think it would depend on what the magic was trying to do. Is there something specific you want to know?" Caroline is still unsure whether to say anything, "I haven't wanted to worry anyone, especially you. The last couple of weeks, I've been feeling things changing throughout my body. Stefan, I think the spell that took all Kai's magic from Elena, also took something out of me. I saw what looked like brown inky stuff coming out my skin. At the time, I thought because you channelling me, it was dark magic from Elena. I'm starting to think it wasn't Kai's magic, it might have been something to do with the magic that makes me a vampire. I was hoping that we can do some magic investigation like Bonnie and Damon did. I don't want everyone to worry, I'm not feeling sick, just different in a way."

Caroline turned to look at him, to make sure he wasn't upset, "It all has to do with the bloodlust. I've had it under control for so long. You taught me so well, and I've never had much of a problem with it, I have always still felt it." She did pause and show the concern on her face, "Stefan, I don't feel it anymore, at all. I get thirsty, hungry like when I was human and I didn't eat food all day. I don't look at someone's carotid artery and have to remind myself that they are a human being and not just food." Stefan sits back in his chair, he watches her pace as she continues, "If I'm honest about it, the only time I am completely satisfied, is when I'm feeding with you. Everything about your blood is different, it tastes different, it fills me in a way that is complete and whole like my soul is filled. The blood bags are like a snack, they only last for a few hours. A few sips from you can sustain me for days, so much longer than a dozen blood bags. None of this makes any sense, look at me, I'm justifying drinking your human blood." Caroline leans against the wall to hide her face in shame.

Stefan stands up from behind his desk and goes to her. His hand moves her hair out of the way so he can see her cheek, "Hey, remember, in sickness and health, till death do us part. That includes my wife loving my blood. Care, look at me. If something happened to you during the spell, we need to find out what it was. It isn't your fault. For the record, I happen to like when you feed on me. I spent all those years never being able to blood share and enjoy the intimacy that was involved. Now I can, with you, my wife. There is nothing better in my world, it feels amazing. That being said, we need to find out what did happen during the spell and if we can or should fix it." Caroline turned to her husband and threw her arms around his neck.

Stefan takes her hand and leads her around to the backside of his desk. He sits on his chair and pulls her on to his lap, "Now my lovely and amazing, overly narcotic wife, tell me everything you have already figured out." She looks into his eyes and opens her mouth as she is about to protest, his left eyebrow goes up, Caroline just starts to laugh as she leans in for a long kiss. This man knows her better than any other man ever, he knows her as well as Elena, that is definitely saying something. Caroline pulls out of the kisses with a smile on her face, "It's like I'm less of a vampire in some way. I know I've been able to control myself with my bloodlust, this is a new thing with your blood. And then not feeling bloodlust at all, even some of my heighten emotions, aren't as heightened. Right now, normally, I would be totally freaking out about this. I've known about this for a long time, and I'm not "Normal Caroline Freakin" in any way." She looks at Stefan who is trying to contain his smile from turning into a true laugh, he nods and motions with his hand to continue. She does, "I've done a little investigation on my own, I'm still vampire strong, I can still run as fast, and as far, my vamp hearing works just fine. I have not tried to heal anyone. I wanted to talk to you, and then maybe we could talk to Ric. Maybe he would like me to heal him."

Stefan wasn't too happy about bringing Ric into this, "Let's not worry Ric. We can find out right now. I'm a human witch now, all the side effects of the cure are gone. Your blood should be able to heal me, and if it doesn't, we know that my powers will. Light the candle." Stefan opens the desk drawer, pulls out a pocket knife. Caroline is concerned as she comes back to him with the candle from the bed nightstand, "Are you sure?" Stefan lovingly pulls her back to his lap, "Care, you have to know, this is the fastest and easiest way. Come here and kiss me." She leans in and kisses him. Stefan confidently, "Let's make this a real test. You need to feed and that will weaken my power just enough to give your blood the upper hand on healing." Caroline is not happy with that suggestion, "I don't like feeding on you when we are not at the temple. Stefan, your human, you don't reproduce blood quickly on your own, it's dangerous. At the temple, your powers help you reproduce faster than I can drink. I don't like this idea, we can wait, tomorrow, first thing, we can go to the temple. I need to finish the clean up from the wedding, we can do our test, make love, have a wonderful time." Stefan smugly smiles, "Nice try, wife. We can do our test right now. Everything will be fine." Stefan takes the pocket knife and cuts a knick in his wrist, puts into his wife's mouth, "Wife, Drink, Now!" Caroline took his wrist in her mouth and started to feed. Stefan pulls her head into his chest, and combs his fingers through her hair, "Blood sharing has always been something that I was scared to participate in. I never wanted to lose control. With you, knowing that my blood is what you want over everything else when you are feeding, it releases those same endorphins that blood sharing did as a vampire. I want you to know, I feel as connected as you do." Stefan knew he didn't have to say the word trust, he knew Caroline would stop feeding way before there was a reason to worry, that was one of the reasons he loved her so much. Caroline stopped feeding, she kissed away the drops of his blood from the wound her fangs left. Stefan felt the erotic touch of her tongue on the already sensitive skin, he took her chin in his hand lifting it to his face, "I'm fine, kiss your husband." She kissed his lips, he could taste the blood still on her tongue.

Stefan reached for the knife again, Caroline carefully eyed his every movement. He took the knife started at one wound, cut a line to connect it to the other fang wound. Stefan cringed at the pain of opening the wound so deeply, "Ok, let's see if this works, time to heal me." Caroline uses her fangs to open the skin on her arm, lifts it so Stefan can have access to the area open wound area she had a bit for him. Stefan takes her arm in his hand, puts his mouth on top of the bleeding wound and he begins to suck the blood. He remembers the way blood tasted on his vampire tongue, this was nothing like that, it was gamey and sweet at the same time, he immediately felt a burning heat down his throat, not unbearable. He felt the warmth growing throughout his neck, shoulders, it was spreading so quickly, in moments, he felt the wound that he had just opened burn as it closed and healed, he knew his wife's blood was healing him. Stefan stopped drinking, he looked up at Caroline and smiled, holding out his arm "Test is complete, looks like your healing abilities are intact."

Caroline took his wrist in her hand, and watched the wound close, the skin faded from bright red to pale pink, and finally perfectly healed human skin, "What do you think it is? Do you think we should be worried?" Stefan pulls her away from him, he needs her to look straight into his eyes, "Caroline, I love you, Do you remember when you were pregnant with the twins? You worried about everything, and when Elena went to sleep when Damon and I became warlocks. You always worry so much about all the things we don't know, yet. Right now, at this moment, you have no instinct to kill anyone. That is a good thing. Should we pay attention? Yes! Should you enjoy being the only vampire on the planet that doesn't want to rip your entire circle of friends and family apart? Yes! At this exact moment, I think you should enjoy your husband." Stefan turns her around, so that her back is facing him, he starts kissing her neck and shoulders, while unzipping her dress. Caroline stiffens up, "Wait, the girls." Stefan continues his kiss assault down her left shoulder blade, "Ric and I tucked them in when we got home. They are snug as two little comfy bugs. Now I'm busy working." Caroline let the shoulders of her dress fall to her waist as Stefan exposed both her shoulders, she turned around in his arms, "I guess a wife's work is never done." Stefan unhooks her bra from the back, "This task, never ever done." The bra drops between them, his kisses become more urgent, his breath hot on her skin. Caroline could feel the electricity coming from his body, it was igniting her from inside. Stefan grabs her bra and tosses it away. He pushes the chair away from the desk and stands up, Caroline's legs fall to the ground. Her arms slide up around his neck, in one motion, her dress falls to the ground, Stefan hears the rustle of falling fabric, "Now that is music to my ears, all I have to get rid of is your shoes and." Stefan pauses, he looks down at her, with a raised eyebrow, "On the panty front, do they have to live? Or can I kill them?"

He should have known the last comment was going to provoke a vampire reaction, Caroline looked up at him, fangs showing, eyes vamp'd, with passion bursting out of her. She stepped out of her dress lying on her feet and walked towards the bed, halfway across the room, she turned, lowering her chin, "Kill Them!" in the most seductive sultry voice Stefan had ever heard. His legs moved in slow motion, damn, why he couldn't move faster, damn human speed, he met her in the middle of the room. Stefan took her in his arms, his lips tore down on hers like their desire was hot white heated ambers of flame with nothing to extinguish them insight. There was no time for control, as she tore his shirt open, it slid off his shoulder, the leather from his belt didn't give her much of a problem either. Stefan stood there as his beautiful and incredibly, intimidating sexy wife vamp sped most of his clothing off him. He put his hand up to slow her down. He wanted a turn at her body, standing in front of him with her strappy shoes and lacy panties, how much more of this could he take. Caroline swatted his hand out of the way, tossed her head back, and glared at him. Caroline wasn't ready to let Stefan have his way, she put a little vamp strength into a push, he landed flat on his back in the middle of the bed a little less than 3 feet away. She took a leap and landed right on top of him. Stefan was caught up in the desires of the moment, he actually smiled at the thought, he just got pounced on.

He was not going to let his wife get all the glory in, he took the lacy barrier that blocked access an area of her body he was jones'ing for next, in his hand and 'killed it'. With her completely naked, his lips followed his hands as they roamed every inch, soon the passion flamed at levels that consumed both of them. Stefan was mesmerized by Caroline as she moved her body exactly where he wanted her like she was reading his mind, just when they were one, he saw her eyes close and the euphoria take over her entire being.

He couldn't stop her, he didn't want to, he felt her heat and desire rise, he watched as her control snapped, she let herself move in a rhythm that made every part of her body flame, just when she was letting the ambers take over. He took over igniting them once again with strong, deliberate thrusts of his pelvis to meet hers. He watched her eyes as her control snapped again, this time, his own control snap with her.

He realized the answer to his vampire wife's worries as to where her 'bloodlust' instinct had gone to as, he smirked as Caroline still trembling body laid on his chest, as he caressed her spine. Just moments ago, she had been in full vampire mode straddling him climaxing with him, her vampire was still very much alive and very sexy. If she was going to channel her inner vampire, what more could a husband want. Caroline was resting quite comfortably, and so was he, this news, Stefan decided could wait for the morning.

Outside the Salvatore Mansion…

Damon opens the passenger door, Elena softly opens her eyes, that nap felt wonderful. All the pregnancy books that she had been reading, warned her that she would be fatigued more often, she wasn't quite ready for the reality of feeling that fatigue. Damon whispers, "We are home, I will get you straight to bed, sleepyhead." his voice was filled with loving amusement. He slipped his arms under her and lifted her out of the car. Elena put her arms around his neck, "I can walk, you know, I'm not actually sleeping." Damon ignored her request, "It is customary for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold. And you, Mrs. Salvatore, are being carried." Elena kissed his neck, Damon, "Don't start that, I'm having a hard time with being a gentleman as it is. Help your husband out, open the door." Elena reached down and opened the front door.

The house was quiet, she wondered if Damon had taken a bit longer to get home so she could nap a little longer, she smiled, Damon logic. The fire in the living room was full of glowing ambers and gently flickering fingers of flame, clearly having been lit for a while. Yes, the rest of the family are settled in for the night, she and Damon were the last ones home from the wedding, Damon took the long way home to give her a chance to rest, and the house a chance to calm down. Elena leaning into his shoulder, "I don't want to go upstairs yet, can we stay down here for a while, I love it when we get to relax on the couch and watch the fire together." Damon could never deny her "Are you sure? Do you want to change first?" Elena purred, "I am perfectly comfortable in your arms." Damon carried her over to the couch, sat down, Elena twisted just a little so that her back was leaning more on the pillow then Damon's chest, she rested with her head on his shoulder, he put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. Damon sat there with his wife, he corrected his thought, his pregnant wife, enjoying their home, in front of their fireplace. For just a moment, his mind raced through all the memories that brought him to this moment in time and how just one different decision would have prevented this from happening. His hand rested on Elena's stomach, again, he corrected his thought, his growing child. Damon whispered, "How are you feeling? Do you feel up to me using magic to be with the baby for a while?" Elena knew what he was asking "For just a little bit, not too long, he or she needs to rest."

Damon wrapped his arms around Elena and put his head on hers, closed his eyes. He felt her love for him open a path to her heart, from her heart he could feel the baby, he could hear their heartbeat. He let his magic flow into Elena, he knew it would be pulled by the baby. Every time he did this, he had a pang of guilt for the selfish pleasure he felt over being able to bond with his child this way, knowing that mere human fathers could not experience the same. Something was different this time, he didn't feel the baby pull his magic the same way as last time. He felt a pull, it wasn't an urgent pull like it has been, Damon wondered, he widened his magic stream and put more power into it, and he immediately felt the pull from the baby stronger than he had ever felt. His child was growing stronger, their peanut's magic was growing too. Damon started putting everything together, Elena being so fatigued, the baby growing, the magic growing. Their little peanut had discovered Mom's doppelganger blood and its magical power booster. Damon sent a nice steady current of magic to his little one, knowing that Mom was going to get a much-needed rest. He kissed Elena, his thoughts started racing about Elena being human and having doppelganger blood with no actual witch powers, his thoughts were raising so many questions, he knew he needed to find the answers quickly.

Noise from the stairs caught his attention, Damon looked up, Bonnie came around the bannister into the entryway. Bonnie was covered tightly in her robe and slippers on her feet, she reminded him of the long hours they would sit and talk in the prison world of 1994, she would always "get comfy" knowing that he would want to talk about Elena until the early morning hours and she would listen until she had to sleep, or the day would start again. Damon smiled as he remembered all the moments that solidified their friendship, "Shouldn't you two girls be tucked in next you an overprotective wannabe vampire?" Bonnie snarled back at him, "Ha Ha, Damon, be nice, Enzo isn't dealing with this as easy as he wants everyone to believe. The same is true for you, my friend. I can ask the same of you two?" Damon smirked at her knowing he couldn't fool her, "This is Elena's favorite moment of the day when it is quiet and the house is calm and safe. When everyone is tucked in sleeping and the fire is crackling. She wanted to relax before heading upstairs, then she fell asleep, I haven't had the heart to move her yet." Damon paused, "I have to admit it, I'm enjoying myself too, I've been baby bonding, magically that is. Hey, you changed the subject, what brought you downstairs?" Bonnie looked into the fire for a moment of reflection, and then began to speak, "If I told you nothing, and I'm worried because there is nothing, you'd think I was crazy. Damon, I haven't had any premonitions, no danger, no evil. You and I both know that with all this magic that we have connected, we have tipped the scales to good. Evil is going to fight back and in a big way. Where is it? You, Enzo, Stefan, Klaus, Lily, so many enemies of enemies know where we are, and no is on their way. It just doesn't make sense. We have the cure. No one wants it. Maybe someone is blocking our warning spells?" Damon knows how his best friend thinks, he chooses his words carefully, "Bonnie, I agree that we need to be aware. We have put some magic back in play that hasn't been there in over 2,000 years, we also destroyed hell twice. Evil is doing a lot of rebuilding right now. We need to be doing the same thing. You are re-building the Bennett bloodline, re-connecting blood magic in a way that it hasn't been used in over 2,000 years. Stef and I are something completely different and human again. We are re-building Nature's magic, and connecting to our elements, using parts of our beings we never knew existed. Not to mention, I got married to Elena, a pregnant doppelganger today. There are all sorts of new realities that are going on. Right now, you and I are going to sit here, we are going to breathe, and we are going to talk about how amazing the day was. You and Enzo are having a little Bon Bon who is going to grow up and be BFF with our little peanut."

Bonnie smirked, "Peanut?" Damon whispered, "Elena is not happy with the first nickname I came up with." Bonnie laughed when Damon's eyes did that mischievous sparkle he was known for, she could only imagine what the nickname was, she couldn't wait to badger it out of Elena when they were in private. Damon continued, "So we settled on Peanut until we know if Peanut is a boy or a girl." Bonnie agreed, "Peanut it is. Enzo has been talking about names. To be honest, I'm still adjusting." Damon takes over the conversation, "Bon, every time you come back from, ie you survive, some amazing, catastrophic adventure, it takes you a minute or two to adjust, remember scorching a douche bag with your magic at that Rave. You found out that the recently brought back to life with magic from a 2,000 year old spell, vampire love of your life created a little Baby Bennett Witch with you. I'd say you have a right to a moment or two of adjustment. Bon Bon."

Enzo walks into the room, "Here are my girls" Bonnie looked at Enzo, "I couldn't sleep, I ran into Damon on my way to get something to drink" Enzo with a little concern in his voice, "Did you ever get something to drink?" Bonnie smiles, "You know me so well." as she shakes her head no. Enzo heads into the kitchen with a little vamp speed, he comes back with two glasses, and one for Bonnie filled with milk, which she wrinkles her nose as he hands it to her "I know this isn't your favorite, it is good for you and it is good for Deidra?" Bonnie shakes her head, no again, Enzo agrees, "Ok" he sits down, and Bonnie settles into the nook of his side, she pulls her earring off, and uses the hook to poke a hole in her finger. Enzo puts his glass under her finger as a few drops of her blood fall into the glass, he swirls the liquid around to mix it together. Bonnie looks up at him and knows how much he dislikes the pain that he thinks this causes her. Damon confused, "Deidra?"

Bonnie keeps her voice low and even, "Enzo is trying out names for the baby. He is doing it alphabetically, he is on D's. I personally was thinking." Bonnie lowers her voice to a bare whisper, "Krystal with a K." She stares at Damon with a snarky smile. Damon's eyes open big and his mouth pierces as he glares at Bonnie. She lets a single laugh loose. Elena stirs, "Is everything ok?" Damon strokes Elena's head, "Shh, everything is fine, go back to sleep." Damon stares at Bonnie, then smiles. "No, I don't like Krystal with a K." Enzo glares at Damon, "That is a BFF story behind there for sure, I take it, a wife doesn't need to know about it it." Damon brought his two fingers up toward his eyes as a peace sign and then aimed them at Enzo in a silent gesture, agreeing with that statement.

Bonnie not exactly happy about it, continues to drink the milk, and Enzo finishes his glass of blood. Enzo changes the subject, "Love, you really need to get some rest, today has been a big day for all of us. I am having such time believing that this heartbeat that I am hearing is our child. I truly believe you. I know you, everyone is telling the truth. It is just a dream, I have never ever allowed myself to think of. Now the one person I have waited over a hundred years for is making me have these thoughts. Damon, you of all people understand, mate. I just need to hold Bonnie and not let her go for a few days, months, maybe years." Damon agreeing, "I have been there, actually at the moment, I am there, and I can raise you, a marriage license." He puts his ring finger in the air to show it off. Bonnie immediately changes the subject, "I'm ready to go back to our room." Enzo stands up, then leans down, scoops Bonnie into his arms "I shall carry you and Diana, there myself" Damon frowns and shakes his head while providing an absolute response, "NO!" Bonnie chuckles as they are walking up the stairs.

Elena stirs, Damon looks down at her, "Are you uncomfortable? " Elena purrs, "Not at all, I am too comfortable, I am got a lovely nap. Why did you let me sleep so long?" Damon grins, "Mostly, because, I happen to like holding you in my arms. Second, because I got to play or distract our child with my magic. I need to talk to you about that too. Can we get up to our room, first? I'd like to get out of this monkey suit." Elena went to stand up. Damon frowned, "This is our first night as husband and wife, it is customary for the groom to do the carrying of the bride over the threshold_sss_." Damon put emphases on the 's'. "There are a few 1850's customs I would like to uphold, I would like to carry you up to our room." Elena lies back down on the couch, she lifts her knees to give him easier access for lifting. Damon smiles and slides his arms around her body, lifts her to his chest. He brings her close to his face and kisses her mouth. Elena waits until her head is safely tucked into his shoulder before rolling her eyes, these are the old fashion quirks she will just deal with. He climbs the stairs, each step he whispers words of love into her ear so that only she can hear. She kisses his neck as he is walking down the hallway.

The door to their room was open, the fireplace was lit, and fresh wood was crackling over the hot ambers. Someone had already prepared that for them. Rose petals were everywhere, all over the floor, on the bed, in the bathtub and on the shower floor. Dozens of long stem red roses were on top of every piece of furniture. Elena thought Caroline & Bonnie had something to do with this for sure.

Damon impressed, "This looks like a honeymoon suite to me" Elena can't get over her friends, "I love it." Elena slides out of Damon's arms, she turns facing the room with his arms still around her, she puts her hands on his. They stand there for a moment. Elena emotionally, "Mr. Salvatore this is our honeymoon." Elena's voice has a bit of surprise in it. Damon tightens his grip around her, "I'm a little in Aww that we actually made it. Mrs. Salvatore. I know we agreed on Elena Gilbert Salvatore. Would you mind for the honeymoon we go with Mrs. Salvatore?" Elena she doesn't let him see her grin, "I can work with that." She turns around, puts her arms around his neck, pulls his head down to hers and takes possession of his mouth. Damon loses control almost immediately, his hands take her body inch by inch, pulling her closer, demanding more in his touch. Elena reaches the front of his shirt, her intent is immediately known. Damon's hands reach for hers in the gentlest way, he flattens them underneath his over his heart.

Damon took a very deep breath, lifts his head and kisses Elena's forehead, he is about to do one of the most impossible tasks of his life, he almost shakes his head at how this was never a possibility let alone going to be his choice, "Honey, these are not the words I ever expected to come out of my mouth on our first night as husband and wife. I am the husband, I made a vow today, your needs and the needs of our child have to come first. You have had an exhausting day. I really think that we should call it a night, and start all of this in the morning after you have had a good night sleep." Elena wanted to laugh out loud, Damon Salvatore saying NO to sex, in what universe does that happen, her mind was already 10 steps ahead, her next thought 'No way Salvatore, this is my wedding night!' Elena slowly looked up at him making sure to brighten her eyes, knowing how her brown eyes effected him when they were a specific 'doe' way as he told her in the past, she would have to approach this conning and deviously, she was going to be a version the old, selfish Damon Salvatore, she was going to have a little fun tonight, "Hmmm.. I see, my noble husband." she put an appropriate amount of disappointment in her tone, knowing that would pull on his guilt strings.

Damon put his hand under her chin "Elena, don't be upset with me. Inside this beautiful body are the two most important beings that have ever come into my life. I'm not going to do anything that might put them in harm's way or danger. That includes starting a honeymoon late so you can get some rest. Let's not make a big deal about this. It's not worth turning into a fight."

In Elena's mind, the fight had already begun, she knew Damon had made up his mind, human, witch or vampire. Damon Salvatore was a stubborn beast and her protection was always put in front of everything, everyone and even himself. Tonight he made up his mind that she and the baby were in harm's way, and he needed to 'protect' them. Didn't he realize what he had been doing for the past 90 minutes for both of them, his wife and his child, Elena realized that he was an amazing father who didn't ask enough questions before making up his stubborn mind.

She had made up her mind too, she was going to get a wedding night and might as well start fighting dirty, she turned her back to him, as she starts to answer him in a calm and relaxed voice "I understand. Can you unzip my dress? This is such a perfect dress. Caroline said you bought everything, you only asked for help with makeup and hair. Did you really pick out every piece of my wedding attire?" Damon asked with confidence and male pride "I did. Can I assume you approved!" He gently takes her hair and moves it off her back, Damon can't help but notice how silky soft in feels flowing through his fingers, he loves the way it feels when he can wrap his fingers and hands in her hairs and…. He shakes his head and tells himself stop thinking about that. Elena is your wife, she is pregnant, she and the baby need rest. Elena feels the pause as he moves her hair out of the way, she knows her plan is working.

Damon's hands handle the zipper with ease, there was a sense of male confidence as he undoes the single hook and pulls the zipper down the length of her back. His eyes follow the zipper as it exposes the skin of her back, he slowly starts to remember the rest of the 'wedding attire' that he had purchased. Elena felt Damon's knuckles brush against her back the steady swift pull of the zipper slows, she knew he just realized what was underneath her dress, she almost giggled 'this is just too easy' she thought, she decided to make a little shiver, just to give him something to react to. Damon's hand was on fire when Elena's back touched his skin, he saw her move, and he felt the electricity flow directly to his cock. The zipper finally reached its ending point. Damon is literally frozen as the dress falls off Elena's shoulders. She immediately turns around and lets the dress continue falling to the floor. She watches as Damon confidence shakes at the sight of her standing there in the white sheer lace undergarments that he had picked out.

His mind registers how totally screwed he is, he can't move a muscle, anything he does will betray his resolve. He was right, the lingerie, it fits her perfectly, Elena looks so amazing, he wants to touch her, kiss her, tear every piece of that damn lace off her. His bride was the sexiest woman he had ever laid his eyes on. His brow starts to arch, his eyes start to gloss. Elena sees the changes, she know this was the time to heat up the battle, she runs her hand over her breast slowly, caressing the soft silk lace of the bra cup, "I love how soft the silk is, every day my nipples have been just a bit more sensitive than the previous." To prove it, she catches one in between two fingers and the nipple instantly tightens into a peek. Damon's lower jaw drops open, just a bit, she knows his resolve is shredding before her eyes. She smirks, and realizes the battle is about to end.

Elena had more power over Damon than even he knows, this was her moment, it was time to show him, she flicks her wrist, all of Damon's clothes burst into Dragonflies. Damon stands completely naked watching as all the Dragonflies flutter out the window. He looks at Elena, completely confused, he is speechless, fully erect and aching with desire in his eyes. Elena knows she has won, she reaches for him and walks her fingers down his chest until she has his need for her in her hand, strokes it, as his breathes deepen, and "Peanut isn't the only one that can borrow magic. I would like to prove to you that I'm feeling very well. Peanut is resting after playing hide n seek with you most of the evening." Just to prove how strong her magic is, she uses it to hover Damon over to the bed, sits him down on the edge.

As he sits on the side of the bed, Damon is incomplete Aww as to what his wife is doing, his weak human wife. His mind is racing through thought afterthought, one keeps coming to the front of his mind 'dump ass when are you going to stop underestimating Elena Gilbert'.

Elena follows him to the bed, she puts one foot on his leg, she unclips her garter, starts unrolling her stocking down her leg. Damon can't help it, his hands reach up to touch her thigh, he can feel electricity his touch causes to her skin, he reaches around her hips and unhooks the garter belt completely, he has had enough. Elena feels the other stocking fall to the ground, she steps away from the bed. She looks into Damon's eyes, he is smouldering with desire, she loves that look. She isn't ready to declare victory just yet, "Damon, do I look tired to you?" Damon looks her body up and down, and up again "No, wife, you do not look tired at all." Elena looks at his cock, arches her eyebrow, licks her lips, "Husband, what do I look like I want to do?" Damon swallows and takes a deep breath, "God, Elena, just get over here so I can touch you." Elena knows she has won. She slowly removes her bra and throws it at Damon, once he looks back at her, she squeezes her breast together, making sure he gets a good view. She takes a few steps toward him, she reaches for his hands, puts them on her hips as she straddles him on the bed. Elena demands, "Husband, make me your wife, officially. It is your duty." Damon understood what she means, she was using 1860's tradition against him. He took her in his arms and laid her on the bed underneath him, his need for her deepened, her legs opened for him. That was all he could take, was it his selfish nature, or his wanton wife, he didn't care, the passion between them blazed for the next few hours.

Finally, as she lay naked in his arms, he realized all she wore was her wedding garter high on her right thigh and her wedding ring, he reminded himself, their wedding ring. He looked at his ring finger on his hand, resting on her baby bump, protectively covering his child. His finger drew circles around her nave, "That was my favorite Tux" Elena chuckled slightly louder than a whisper, "I guess we will have to go shopping for another. I imagine you want an explanation too... Surprise." Damon lifted his head, "Surprise isn't exactly an explanation."

Elena could see she was going to have to explain everything, she put her hand on his head and raked her fingers through his hair, knowing that would appease him just a little, "I know, I should start with, I figured out might have been pregnant couple of weeks before we took the test. One morning, I came downstairs to find you and Stefan outside with Demetrius having a magic training class. For the first time, I could see and hear Demetrius perfectly. Over the next week, I made an extra effort to be around while you and Stefan were training. At first, I was curious, I couldn't get over that you were now a witch, your magic was so different than Bonnie's. Each session I learned more, I wanted to be able to understand what you were going through, I wanted to support you. At first, I figured, I was a doppelganger, so I could see and hear because of Stefan being doppelganger. Then one day, I listened to him talk about your magic, about Nature's magic, about the brothers bond, and how throughout history, you were the first siblings to prove your worthiness in the bloodline. That's when I realized, that I was carrying the next in line. That was why I could see and hear him. I wanted to tell you right away, you had so much going on, magic was so new to you, also being human, being a witch, me being awake, Enzo & Bonnie, I didn't want to add a worry to you, I don't know why, but I knew everything was ok. I knew you needed more time to understand magic, the more understood, the less would scare you when you found out about Peanut. So, while you learned, so did I. I knew I was growing a little witch or warlock, they would need to go through the training you were, magical or not, I'm their mother, I have know, so I listened and learned."

Damon hugged Elena tightly, "So you learned all that. I'm guessing you didn't stop there. What else do you know about your magical powers and our magical offspring that you haven't shared with good ole dad?" Elena grins, "Damon, you have to admit, you go a little overboard on the protecting stuff, especially, when you don't know everything about it. Peanut is our child, he or she is special just like you are. And you have required a lot of special love and patience. So we are going to give him or her, the same." Elena took Damon's hand and put it on her stomach, "You can feel Peanut, nice and relaxed, that is what your magic does. Earlier gave Peanut quite the playtime and you juiced my doppel blood, I think Peanut has a bit of a magical hangover." Damon drew circles around her navel, while Elena combed her fingers through his hair, "At night, Peanut usually pulls your magic when we are sleeping and when we are touching during the day. It is an easy draw for Peanut, since you both have the same magic element source. Peanut draws from Stefan too, his magic is like ying/yang. When I get too fatigued, and you're not around, I will sit next to Stefan, Peanut will draw from him, instead of me. It is quite a natural feeling for me to be next to a Salvatore brother, I am able to rest very comfortably. Peanut is going to be very close to his or her Uncle, I'm so happy about that." Damon smiles, "How do you know all this?" Elena looks down at him smugly, "Damon, our magical child lives inside of me. I'm the mother, everything Peanut needs to grow comes from or through me. Of course, I know."

Damon voice changes, "You become weakened. Stefan and I will figure out a way of protecting you." Elena exasperated, "Damon, out of all that, you only heard, Peanut draws from my doppel blood." Elena sits up and moves Damon out of the way, "I don't need protecting from my own child. I'm fine, I'm healthy, I'm happy. I believe that you figured out the answer pretty easy tonight. You just need to be a great Dad and play hide n seek with your child, and leave a little bit of magic in my blood for Peanut to snack on." Elena put her hands on her hips, breathing heavy, exposing her breasts, Damon realized she was changing, her body was changing from Peanut, he had noticed the bare baby belly bump, from this angle, her breast are fuller, he knew he was staring, he couldn't stop himself. Elena glaring, "Damon" she declared. Damon looked at her face with a smile, "You distracted me and you know you meant it too, so don't act all innocence." Elena smirked and changed the subject, "Now that I have your attention. I would like to remind you that I'm a newly married bride." Damon conceded for now, "Is that your way of telling me that I'm not paying enough attention to you?" Elena shakes her head yes. Damon reaches for her, "I realized that your body is changing with Peanut, I have to pay a lot more attention to those changes."

He bends his head and takes her nipple into his mouth and suckles, Elena inhales deeply. Her arms weaken as she collapses on to her back again, Damon leans on his elbows, takes both her breasts, one in each hand, firmly grasps and switches back and forth with his mouth suckling each nipple until firm and hard, just before he releases it, he nips it between his teeth sending shock waves of tingles through Elena spine. Elena arches her back, Damon feels her spreading her legs, he wants more this time. He shifts to one side, Elena opens her eyes, they are glossy and wanting, Damon loves this look, he lives for this look in her eyes, from the first time he saw it, the first morning after the first time they made love, before he realized she was sired to him, he longed to do all that he could to her, for her so that look would be in her eyes always. And this time, like every time, it consumed him. Damon was demanding, "Elena, Come here to me, put your back to me, I want my hands on your breasts, they are fuller, your hips are shaping different, I want you this way, Can we?" Elena didn't say any words, she twisted and did as he asked. She slid into a nook that she often slept, she felt his hardness, his hand cupped her breast, his hand pushed her hip forward, his leg slid under hers, slightly lifting, then she feels him. She feels his heat, the way he fills her, she presses into him, she matches his rhythms this way, his hand kneaded her breast and pinched her nipple with each thrust of their bodies. She arches towards him, their passions are firing hotter. Elena says the words that he can't refuse "Harder... More.. Damon.. Please.." He positions them slightly and braces himself on his arms, angling more so that his pelvis will meet her amazing backside with every thrust. Her legs widen, he is deeper with more in control now, he wants her to climax this way. He feels her knees start to bend upward and toes start to point. He keeps the rhythm, it makes Elena pant, she is breathing so hard through her mouth, the words "Damon, please" came out between breaths. That is all he needs to hear, Damon's control is broken, he can't hold on any longer, "Baby come to me, squeeze me, Elena, make me yours, Now!" Elena roared, she moaned with a breathless pant, she bucked up to her knees, her calf and foot opened back to lay on his hip, her toes curled as she pressed into him once, twice, she kept tightening around him with every spasm of her orgasm. Her back slowly lost its arch as she started to breathe again. Damon gently rolls to his side, brings her over to him, "How do you do that to me every damn time?" His heart is pounding, Elena loves to hear it, "I'm not going to answer. I have to keep my secrets.. I have to have some magic too." Damon looks down at her, his thoughts go back to the middle of the street so many years ago when he first laid eyes on her... She had put him under her spell, from that very moment, he had been hers.

Elena opens her eyes, the sun is bright, she knows that Peanut is awake too. She can feel that special type of fatigue setting in. She rolls over to Damon, he stirs, lifting his arm, she slides under and nudges his chest, "Peanut is awake and wants to play", Damon stretches around her, kisses her head, "Good morning, wife." he lays his hand on her stomach, "Good morning, Peanut." as he sends a current of magic through her skin, "Did that help?" Elena yawns and stretches her arms above her head, "It did, Peanut is settling down, thank you, I can feel that right away. I can't get over the difference between you putting magic inside me and Peanut drawing it from you." Damon twisted on top of her, "Let me see if I can distract Peanut for a bit, I would like to have some quality time with Mom." He moves down to her stomach, sliding the covers away as he lowers his head, exposing her naked body. He kisses her baby bump, "Peanut, I'm going to teach you a little bit about Mom's blood." He looks up at Elena, "Honey, you might feel a little queasy for just a minute or two. I am so sorry. Time for Papa to teach Junior not to feed from Mom." Elena's brows curl just a bit, she isn't looking forward to morning sickness again, "What are you going to do?" Damon looked back with his sexy eyes, "I'm going to add a little bit too much Zinc to your blood. I called the doctor early morning, it isn't going to hurt Peanut or you. It just isn't good for Peanut's magic, the Zinc acid is what Stef uses a part of his juicing the waters, it will not feel as good as my magic will. As soon as I add the Zinc to your blood, I'm going to add twice as much of my magic, Hopefully, this will discourage Peanut from using the magic in your blood." Elena felt a flood of nausea come over her, she closed her eyes and took deep breathes. Damon frowned, he hated the look of discomfort on Elena's face, "Hold on, I'm almost done. Ok Peanut, not so tasty. How about something from Good Ole Dad." Damon stretched his hand toward the window, it swung open, the wind came swirling in, all the rose petals were caught in the vortex. Damon brought his hand down to her stomach. Elena immediately felt better, stronger, the strength and energy was returning to her. Damon looked her in the eyes, "I thought I'd give Jr a little extra juice. It will also get rid of all Stef's magic in your system. Are you feeling better?"

Elena looked up at him with her big brown eyes telling him all he needed to know, "Much better." She put her hand on his chest letting it roam, showing him how much better she was feeling. She twisted just a bit to release her other hand. Damon smirked at her, "Elena, I'm currently on Daddy Duty. You are not playing fair." Elena looks up at him with a smirk that rivals his devilish charm, "I know." Her hand went lower, stroking his every desire. Damon's mind was so mixed up, his body was doing one thing, his magic was doing another.

Damon closed his eyes trying to focus on one thing, while losing focus on the other, "Damn it, Elena." the wind turned into a full gust blowing the roses everywhere, the vortex brought in pine cones and flower buds through the open window. Elena drew from Peanut's magic, she used her finger to turn Damon over onto his back, she followed him, straddling him with her legs on either side. She put her hands out. Damon took them, she put all of her weight on, and slowly slid down on him. He filled her completely, she moaned with pure ecstasy, he took his time as he let his eyes follow every inch of her face, neck and body down to the point that it met his. She began moving, leaning up and down on his shaft, slowly at first, feeling every inch of him thrusting in her body, her pace increased. Damon held on to her hands, keeping her rhythm, "Keep going, Baby, I've got you, Oh Fuck, Elena, you are so beautiful. You are driving me nuts. Look at you. Keep going. Keep going." Damon let go of her hands, reaches her breasts, flicks the nipples and cups as much of the breast that will fit in his hands, he makes a mental note of how they no longer fit. He lowers his hands to her hips, he squeezes them tightly, holding on, he uses his hips and bucks at her, meeting her movements with velocity. Elena whimpers, he knows she is close to peeking, she starts to slow, he won't let her, he keeps the pace with his movements, he feels the wetness increase, he feels her heat ignite, she starts to tighten around his shaft. He bucks again, and one more time, she cries "Damon... Damon", he thrusts his hips upward, deeper, stronger, faster. "Damon, oh god, Damon" She pulses on him, he feels it all and with the last pang of wet heat, he climaxes deep inside her. She collapses on top of him.

Elena breathing heavy and completely exhausted "Ok, you can go back to playing Hide N Seek with Peanut." She rolls over on to her back. Damon spreads eagle "Just use me woman, why don't you" Elena sat up, kissed him chastely on the cheek "Ok, I will continue to do so, Thank you." She laid back down and fell right to sleep. Damon lifted his head and looked at his gentle human wife and let out a mighty roar of laughter, he thought 'Elena would never stop taking his breath away'. He turned to his side and stared at this amazing naked woman who was carrying his child, this moment in life couldn't get much better. His daydream was cut short when he remembered what he was supposed to be doing, Damon realized his life was about to get just a bit better, so he concentrated, gathering up magic from the wind, he let it die down to a breeze again and placed his hand on Elena's bump, he was going to spend some time with his child.

The magic wasn't being pulled any longer, Damon knew that Peanut was calm and magically full, Elena was in a deep sleep. He carefully got out of bed, looked around and shook his head, there were rose petals and roses everywhere, stuck in the mouldings, hanging out of the tops of the lopsided artwork, Elena's wedding dress hanging off the mirror, her bra on the lampshade, his bowtie was on the picture frame, a stocking on the armoire, he looked over at the bed with Elena sound asleep, he had to smile, the entire scene looked like a well-used honeymoon suite. His male pride got the best of his thoughts 'Not bad for a human, Damon Salvatore, not bad at all'. With a swelled chest, he walked into the closet got dressed quietly, and headed downstairs.

The kitchen door opened, Stef looked at him with a brother smirk of sarcasm that was ready to burst. Stef couldn't help but notice Damon was beaming, "Rough night Bro." Damon smiled, "Shut up Stef." Stefan roars laughter. Caroline jesting, "Geez, Damon, you are grumpy!" Damon walking over to the cabinet for a mug, "No, Caroline, I'm not grumpy, I'm quite happy, thanks for noticing. My brother is being tackless and juvenile. Thank you by the way. Elena and I really appreciate the Honeymoon Suite. It was perfect." Caroline smiled, "I'm so glad. What did you think of the nightgown. We picked it out weeks ago, absolutely not for a wedding. I thought she'd.." The look on Damon's face was confused. Caroline gasped, "ohh, you didn't see it." Stefan let out another roar. Damon threw an orange at him. Caroline stood up, "I'll go see if Elena." Whoosh with vamp speed she was gone .. Damon looked towards the door, "Care, Elena is still sleeping. Oh well, she will figure it out.. Shit Care, the roses.. Oh well." Stefan hands Damon a cup of coffee, "Welcome to married life, Brother." Damon takes the coffee and clinks Stefan's cup.

Damon takes a swig from the mug and his tone has changed to serious, "I did find out something interesting last night. Our lovely, Elena has been keeping secret from me, well actually us, little brother." Stefan puts his cup down and looks at Damon. Damon looks up at Stefan, "She can do magic. How's that for a surprise? She has been able to see and hear Demetrius for almost 2 months. She figured out she was pregnant after hearing him talk about bloodlines during one of our training sessions. It turns out, Peanut – that's what she is calling the baby, has discovered that doppelganger blood is a nice big magical battery. Peanut has been draining Elena, that is why she has been so fatigued and extra clinging. When Elena touches you or me, Peanut is pulling through her from us. Apparently, Peanut doesn't like doppel blood magic."

Stef stares off for a moment, "That makes sense, when she and I were dancing yesterday, I felt her.. Peanut pulling magically from me, I was wondering what was going on." Damon smiles, "She's been secretly juicing from us for weeks. Elena told me that my magic, well she used the word 'satisfies' Peanut and your magic "calms or comforts", she is convinced that you and Peanut are going to be BFF's." Stefan smiles knowing how Elena thinks and how she tends to make her feelings happen. He couldn't help himself, he was looking forward to meeting his niece or nephew.

Stefan stares at Damon for a moment, the brother bond was working, he was sensing Damon's feelings "You are worried about Elena, aren't you? As the baby grows, so does the magic. The more Peanut is going to pull from her Doppel blood, right?" Damon knew he couldn't hide anything from Stefan "Yepp" Stefan tried to provide a little perspective "Damon, this is Elena, she is tougher than both of us, you know she is going to be fine. You and I can feed Peanut our magic any time that Elena needs, we can protect her. Damon, you and I have been trying to do it for over 10 years. For the first time, I think she will actually be cooperative." Damon smiled, "Good point, that would be a novelty – a cooperative Elena. Maybe Hell did freeze." The brothers broke into laughter as Caroline and Elena walked through the kitchen door.

Elena walks into Damon's open arms, "What joke did we miss?" Stefan smirked as he opens his arms for Caroline's embrace, "Hell freezing over." Caroline kisses him, he winks at her, "Coffee, honey." Caroline replies "Yes, please." Elena sounds so envious, "I miss coffee." Damon distracts Elena, "Here is your breakfast smoothie all ready. Hey, I have a little something else for Peanut." He put his hand on her stomach and sent a current of magic. "A little distraction so you can enjoy breakfast." Stefan adds to the conversation, "Damon gave me a little heads up on the Peanut situation, Elena, do you mind if I add a bit to the distraction, see if it helps?" Elena sticks her belly out "Go for it, Peanut loves Uncle Stef too." Stefan puts his hand on Elena's stomach and closes his eyes, "Woww, I can feel it.. I mean Peanut pulling my magic. This kid is strong, clearly takes after his Uncle." Damon huffs, "No way, The Dad, Dad saved your life remember." Elena takes issue with the brothers statements "Excuse me, My child is strong and courageous just like me, the Mother, who not just survived but changed both of your lives. Trump that brothers." Damon and Stefan looked at each other, Elena puts some sassy sarcasm into her voice "one up'd them again." Caroline laughed, "Score one for the wives." Elena held up her hand, Caroline vamp sped to high 5 it.

Stefan was questioning Elena, "How do you feel? I added a burst behind Damon's magic, my magic will follow Damon's around until Peanut has absorbed it, then Peanut can get to mine."

Damon interrupted everyone "Breakfast time, where's rest of the house?" as on cue Jeremy walks "smells good, I'm starving" he sits down and starting serving himself. Caroline "Bonnie & Enzo had a doctor's appointment this morning, they left an hour ago. Ric had to get to the armory, there were some issues with one of the contractors, I'm heading there later. I was hoping, I could get a volunteer for niece duty." Damon spoke up, "It's my turn, I promised Lizzie I would show her how to make flower petals fly." Caroline concerned, "Damon, keep the magic to a minimum. They think that it is ok to practice around everyone." Damon shook his head, "Caroline, they know they can't. Anyhow, they can only siphon me when we are outside. Trust me, Uncle D's got this." Caroline looks at Elena who nods with the "I will supervise" approval. Caroline concedes, "Ok, Uncle D." Stefan reminds, "I told Matt, I'd stop by the sheriff's office this morning, a few suspicious reports came over the wire last night, he wants a second opinion on, Jeremy, can you join me, a hunter's viewpoint would be helpful?" Jeremy agrees while still eating, "Sure, I guess vacation is over." Damon adds to the household announcements, "Everyone remembers, Elena and I are leaving for our honeymoon tonight, flight department 9:45 pm. Stefan, you still taking us to the airport?" Stefan smiles, "of course."

With Damon and Elena on their honeymoon, the Salvatore Mansion has been relatively drama-free. Stefan and Enzo spend most nights enjoying a game of pool while drinking a bourbon or two. Ric convinced Jeremy that the Armory School would be a perfect hunter headquarters. Jeremy decided to stay and help get the school up and running, maybe even be a teacher, for vampire hunting, of course. Bonnie and Caroline spent their evenings helping the twins with their powers, siphon witches were hard to train.

By week 2, Caroline had to admit, Uncle D, had been doing a great job, the twins were very protective over their time with him. Each of the girls were careful not to share to much, they each had developed insight on their siphoning abilities from Damon's magical Uncle time. Each of the girls knew how to direct their siphoning, they were careful about using their powers with Bonnie. Josie made sure to ask each time she went to practice siphoning with Auntie BonBon, what her ouchie word was, just so she could remember, since they weren't outside like when they were with Uncle D and he had his socks off, cause if he didn't have his socks off, they had to ask his ouchie word. Somehow, Damon had become a truly healthy influence on her daughters, Caroline and Bonnie talked over lunch how much their opinions of him have changed over the years. Damon Salvatore was going to get a World's Greatest Uncle Mug as a Christmas Gift. They both laughed on how much he was going to hate it.

Jeremy comes down the stairs, Bonnie whistles, "Damn you never dressed up for me that much, you even smell good from here." Caroline looks towards him, "Woww, who's the lucky girl?" Jeremy frowns, "Geezz, you two, I'm not 16 anymore. Yes, I have a date and NO, I'm not telling you who it is or anything about it. Good night." He salutes as he walks through the foyer to the front door. Bonnie and Caroline look at each other as Stefan says "I guess he told you ladies to butt out." Caroline looks at Bonnie, "Nahh, so is there a spell we can do to find out?" Stefan intervenes, "Come on, this is not high school. Jeremy is going to let us know who it is when he wants to and not before. Ladies… Seriously, we are grown adults… be happy he is going out on a Friday night, after all, it is date night."

Enzo comes in, "Speaking of which, I should be taking my ladies out tonight, Bonnie, would you and Gianna, like to go to the Grill for dinner?" Bonnie's tone is uncertain "Gianna Bennett… NAHH.. I don't think soo… Grill sound yummy.. You better get a blood bag before we go." Enzo nods, and heads to the blood cooler.

Caroline reminds Stefan, "Ric has the girls tonight at the Armory. They love it there, they get to siphon the walls and the caves. He loves it too, who knew having siphon witch daughters would prove so helpful in discovering all the hidden caves. He found 3 this week." Stefan goes to her and sits, "I know, I go over and make sure it is safe for him or anyone else to go in after the cave is found. Needless to say, our daughters have kept me busy this week." Caroline lowers her voice, "Well, you don't seem to be busy right now." Stefan leans in, "Actually, I'm about to become very very busy." He just barely touches her lips when his cell phone rings. Caroline frustrated, "You got to be joking!" Stefan looks at the phone, "It's Ric," Caroline concerned it might be about the twins, Stefan answers the call "Ric, what's up?" Ric starts talking, "Stefan, I was hoping that you might have some time to come over the Armory now. I found some artifacts that the girls found magic on. I'm a little concerned about them. The girls didn't siphon them, but they look like the old world, maybe even Gaia old. The concern is they look old dark magic." Stefan answers, "Ok, I'll leave now." Caroline stands up, "I'm coming too. We can bring the girls home. Let's take the SUV." Stefan smiles, Caroline doesn't like taking the Porsche, she hates to make out in sports cars, if the situation ever arises, she always makes sure to protect against the possibility. Stefan grins, "Good idea, Honey."

Stefan and Caroline arrive at the Armory. Ric takes Stefan into the cave where the artifacts were found first. While they are gone, the twins tell Caroline all about the funny looking mask and all the weird stuff that daddy found. Lizzie tells about how it made her want to touch it, but how Uncle D always says if "anything makes your tummy feel like snails are in it and your brain says to do something that you really don't want to, then you have to tell daddy or mommy or zio, but don't do what your brain wants you to do." Caroline had to give it to Uncle D, he really did know how to explain evil in words that the twins could understand. It was a good thing he was on their side. Josie took Caroline's hand and led her over to the table that all the objects were on. Even Caroline could feel the aura that was being given off these artifacts.

The twins stood 3 feet back from the table, Caroline stepped closer, she moved closer, her hand was drawn to the green stone that was laying next to a flat piece of parchment. Caroline didn't touch either of the artifacts, she did hover her hand over both of them. The green stone twinkled when her hand was close to it, when her hand was directly over the stone it glowed bright. She removed it quickly. Caroline looked at the parchment, she wondered if she would have any effect on it, she hovered her hand over the parchment, and the artifacts edges curled up towards her hand. What was this, how could she do this? There are very few supernatural laws, one was you could either be a vampire or a witch, not both. Yes there were heretics, technically, a heretic was a siphon witch who was a vampire, they weren't a witch with their own powers, they siphoned their power from being a vampire. Caroline put her hand over the green rock once more, this time the facets started to show more, it wasn't just a rock, it was a crystal of some sort. Caroline started thinking of all the different types of green crystals, Bonnie had so many Agates, peridot, malachite, aventurine, amazonite, bloodstone, jade, serpentine and jasper, were some of the names that Caroline could remember. Caroline let her hand get closer, hovering just on top, so the crystal glowed so very brightly, she was pretty sure this was an amazonite crystal, the seeing crystal. Bamm, Josie grabbed onto Caroline's legs, "Mommy, don't it's going to hurt you." It was to late, Caroline's hand fell onto the crystal, the glowing orbs entered her hand, she felt the heat sensation travelling up her arm, through her chest, into her heart and lungs, then up her spine and into her brain and out her eyes. Caroline shut her eyes and fell to the ground. Josie screamed, Lizzie yelled, "Daddy .. Zio .. Mommy got eaten by the Monster.."

Ric and Stefan are running toward the girls, they see Caroline on the floor. Ric goes to the girls, and grab them, he tries to calm them down, to find out what happened. Stefan is on the front with Caroline in his arms, "Care, open your eyes, Honey. Come on. You are fine, what happened." He grabs his pocket knife, and slits his palm, he squeezes a few drops of blood into her mouth, hoping that will make a difference. Her skin color is fine, she isn't desiccating. She is simply passed out. Ric looks at Stefan, "What's going on? Is she alive?" Stefan looks at him, "She is a vampire, Ric. She isn't staked through the heart." Stefan doesn't want to say anything in front of the girls that would upset them. Not to mention everything that he wants to say to Ric would come out sounding like Damon, like 'Duh, Ric, yes, she is dead, she is a vampire, she isn't breathing, because she doesn't have to. She doesn't have a heartbeat, because her heart doesn't beat normally unless she is moving, and yes, she is normally dead.' Instead, Stefan lifts Caroline into his arms, "Girls, Mommy is taking a nap. She was working very hard today. She got super tired, I'm going to take her to lay down in the other room, ok?" The twins nod, while holding onto Ric's neck, knowing that the green rock killed their mommy.

In the office, Stefan lays Caroline down on the sofa. He opens one of her eyelids, her iris is glowing between blue and turquoise green in color, he immediately opens the other lid and sees that the other iris is doing the same. He notices a flash of light coming from her chest, he opens her shirt and watches a small orb streaking back and forth across her abdomen. Stefan rubs his hands together, he creates fireballs that hover around them, he lays his hands on Caroline and tries to pull the orb of light out of her. It stubbornly will not follow his magic, the orb continues to outline her abdomen as if it were searching for something. Stefan watches as the orb slows, the glowing light brightens as it's pace crawls to a stop right above her heart, then it just disappears.

Caroline's chest heaves upward, she takes a deep breath, her eyes open, Stefan cries out, "Care, say something!" She tries to focus, her eyesight is blurring, she blinks faster trying to clear whatever is clouding it. As her sight starts to get into focus, she starts to look around, the first thing that she sees is Stefan above her. The look in his eye says everything, he is scared, she says "What happen?". The relief washed over him as soon as his ears heard the first sound come out of her mouth, Stefan answered, "I don't know, the girls said you just went down. What is the last thing you remember?" Caroline brought her hand up to her heart, she could feel a warmth coming from inside her body, it was a new sensation. She looked at Stefan again, she saw him with light around him, a glow, he was surrounded by rings of deep brilliant shades of violet, green and blues, he looked like he was floating in a masculine rainbow. Caroline sat up at vamp speed, she looked around for where the lights were coming from that shined on Stefan, when she found nothing, she closed her eyes and rubbed them with the back of her hands. She took a deep breath, she slowly opened her eyes, "No .. NO…No" Caroline stands up slowly, she starts remembering what happened, the amazonite crystal, the seeing stone, she touched it, Josie touched her, then she touched the stone. Caroline mouth fell wide open "Oh crap." She looked at Stefan with halos of color encircling his body, she thought those had to be auras. She heard Bonnie talk about them enough. Stefan just looked at her, as she studied the room, her eyes focused on object after object, she could tell each artifact that was magical and the ones that weren't, she could see magic. Her hands flew up to her mouth, "OMG, I've got to check on Josie." Caroline speeds out of the room.

As she enters the great hall of the Armory, Caroline is overwhelmed, her senses on are on overdrive, her eyes can't focus. All of a sudden she feels little hands wrapped around her legs, she instinctually knows that her daughter Lizzie has found her. Lizzie cries "Mommy, we thought the monster ate you." Caroline laughs trying to comfort her scared little one, "You are so silly, you know that your Mommy is tougher than any Monster." Josie runs over as soon as she hears Caroline, "I'm sorry Mommy, I didn't mean to bump you." Caroline picks up Josie, there are pastel colors with deep shades of red twinkling around her, "My baby, I know that, I'm fine. You didn't do anything wrong." She puts Josie down and watches the shades of red fade as her daughter becomes happy that her mother is not upset and confident that everything is safe. Caroline tells her daughters, "Now you two go find, Daddy, tell to come here, so we can show him a trick."

The twins run off, just as Caroline turns to see Stefan watching everything from the doorway, "Are you going to tell me what is going on?" He walks towards her, "My vampire wife completely passes out for 5 minutes. When she comes to, she mutters the words No, No, No, Oh crap, OMG and then vamps off. And expects me, a 164 year old ex-vampire not to notice that she is blinking her eye over 10 times a minute, something vampires don't really need to do, but have to concentrate on doing to pretend to be human." He wraps his arms around her waist, "So give, what the hell just happened?"

Caroline put her arms around his neck, leans up and touches her lips to his, "As soon as Ric gives me a few answers, I think I have figured most of it out." Caroline smiles as she sees Ric from the corner of her eye, she turns her head a bit more so that his body is in her full view. She lets go of Stefan, and walks to meet Ric. He stops in front of her, he looks at her strangely, she is studying him. Ric squints his eyes at her, "Care, what is your problem, do I have horns growing out of my head?" Caroline pokes at his shoulder, then she walks around his body, "Interesting, not one color. I would have thought since you were a vampire and a supernatural hunter there would have some sort of mystical residue. You, my friend, nothing but human." Caroline laughed as she walked over to the table with the artifacts, "Ric can you tell me anything about this amazonite crystal. I touched before I passed out. I think I know what is going on." Stefan heard what Caroline was saying, "You touched it?" Caroline answered, "It was an accident. I'll tell you more later."

Ric walks over to the table, "That relic was found in the latest cave, most of the objects have been ancient Greek in origin, early 1st century BC or earlier. Most items have been 'naturalistic' in magical classifications not much actual mystical power. Why do you ask?" Caroline grabs the amazonite crystal from the table, she knows it is hers now, "Well, this little baby packed a wallop." All of a sudden she sees flashes of ancient Greece, men and women walking the streets in tunics and cloaks. Caroline somehow knew the proper names of these ancient garments called chitons and peplos. The scenes continued into a specific house, a man turns, she notices how much the man favors Damon in looks, in a whisper the name, "Demetrius" escapes her lips, she listens to the conversation that is happening.

In the room there are 8 people, all dressed in brightly color garments, sitting in a circle of chairs, as Demetrius is standing, pacing to be exact, and addressing them. Demetrius' voice demands "It is not an option, reuniting the magics, will return Qetsiyah's power. We know she is stronger period, she is the high priestess of the Blood magic. Without Silas, Nature's magic has no power. We cannot release him. He will destroy us. Nature's magic, Elemental magic cannot be housed in one vessel, it requires a partner. We know that Silas will not give my magic back to me. He is power starved. We must wait for the next destine brothers to be born, they will bring Nature's magic back and restore the balance. That is our only option. We wait." Demetrius holds up the Amazonite Crystal for everyone to see. All the others in the room stare at the crystal for a moment, and then the voices begin. The scene fades from Caroline's vision.

She looks down at the crystal. Stefan is at her side, "Care, what is going on?" She looks up at him, "I think I just entered the Brothers Nature's Magical destiny." She holds up the crystal in her hand.


	17. Chapter 17 - While you were gone

Chapter 17 – While we were gone

Elena exhausted, "It is so good to be home." as she plops down on the couch. Damon still walking in the front door overloaded with their luggage, "Just follow me, you can drop them here in the entryway." a 20 something man follows, equally loaded. Damon reaches into this wallet, pulls out a hundred dollar bill and hands it to the young man, "Son, thanks, for all the stops, my, Mrs. really appreciated it. And, the unpacking duty, above and beyond. Keep it up." The driver looked at Damon in a confused way, said Thank you and shut the door behind him. Elena laughed, "You know he was thinking. Dude, you're my age, why are you talking to me like I'm your kid or something." Damon smirks at her, "I'm a father and almost 200 years old, I talk to everyone like they are my kid." Damon walks over to the couch and falls down next to Elena, "I think you bought out Greece and Italy. I didn't realize you were such a shopper, Mrs. Salvatore." Elena laid her head on his shoulder, "I will admit, I did go a little overboard on baby clothes." Damon added, "and toys, and shoes, and furniture. Elena, we have stuff that had to be shipped airfreight." Elena stood up and straddled him, he rolled his eyes, took a deep breath to admit defeat as she leaned down to kiss him, even though her baby bump was a bit in the way, "Damon, Peanut needs to understand where their magical heritage comes from, and we found out so much more about the Salvatore name that you and Stefan can be proud of, we had to bring some of that home with us too." His hands settled on her amazing backside, as he enjoyed her attempt in manipulating him. He wasn't going to let her know he had already conceded 8000 miles ago, where the argument almost started. He would only admit to himself, Elena was right all the time, especially when it came to him and his deepest feelings. It was both comforting and disturbing how well she knew him. Elena deepened her assault on his senses, he lost his ability to think.

"Apparently, the honeymoon isn't over." A familiar voice broke through the passionate embrace, Damon tucked Elena's head toward his shoulder, so he could respond, "I sure as hell hope it never ends, Mate. So go the fuck away, so we can get back to it." Enzo took offense, "Watch your language, my girls will be coming down shortly, Wilma's ears are developing". "NO WAY" was the shout coming from the upstairs hallway. Elena slides off Damon's lap. Damon laughed, "Still working through the alphabet." Bonnie answers, "Yes, thank god he is almost done, the Q's almost killed me." Elena stands up and walks over to Bonnie, each of them examining their growing baby bumps, they hug tightly with tears coming down, Elena cries, "You are so beautiful, look at you. How are you feeling? What did the doctor say? Is everything going well?" Bonnie and Elena talking over each, "Did you have any problem abroad? How was the honeymoon? Was Italy everything I told you it was? Did you try that torte in the corner café? I'm so glad your back." They hug again with more tears. Damon and Enzo look at each other and mouth at the same time, "Hormones!"

"Welcome home, Brother." Stefan says as he walks in the front door, he looks like he just came in from a construction site. His hair is full of concrete dust, his clothes are filthy, he is wearing work boots and a fully stocked tool belt. Damon confused, "Hello Brother, what have you been doing?" Stefan smiles, "Helping Ric out at the Armory. Things are really progressing. We have most of the internal cell walls down and there is a new cave discovery every other day. We could use your help when you get settled in. I'm going get cleaned up. I will be back in a few to catch up. Have you seen Care? Is she back?" Enzo responds, "No, she is still out. She called, everything went great. She and the girls were able to find the entire list." Stefan grins, "Perfect, I will let Ric know, he promised not to stay all night again. Someone needs to call him and remind him to get over here tonight." Damon watching all the exchanges, "We are soo missing something, what is going on?" Enzo smirks, "You were gone for 2 months, life goes on, Mate." Damon impatiently, "We were gone 41 days not 2 months."

Elena catches her brother in laws attention, "Stefan, when you come back down, do you mind?" as she points to the baby bump." Stefan looking down from the stairs, "My niece or nephew missed me?" Elena rubbing the baby bump, "I think so, Peanut has been a little anxious the past few days, I have a feeling a bit of Uncle magic will have a calming effect." Damon joins the conversation, "You didn't tell me!" Elena turns to look at him, "No, I didn't. I was having a wonderful time. You would have made us come home early. Peanut was fine and happy, just a little restless at times. It wasn't something that you needed to worry about, there wasn't any draining going on, the baby wasn't harming me in any way. I completely lived up to our agreement in every way without a gray area. So don't get ruffled, Damon." Enzo strokes the fire with Damon, "So we are still doing the Peanut thing, you didn't see any Shaman or Witch priest give you a gender hint?" Elena answers back, "No, Enzo, we are doing it the old fashion way, a real doctor with a real ultrasound machine." Damon, Stefan and Enzo laugh, Damon responds, "Baby, old fashion is waiting until the baby is born and seeing if there is an innie or an outie." Elena snarls back at him, "I said Old Fashion, Damon not ancient." Damon decides not to get any more on his wife's bad side, "I better get all our stuff upstairs" Enzo offers, "Let me help, Mate. Looks like you bought out Europe." Damon pointed to Elena as she and Bonnie are heading to the kitchen.

Caroline opens the front door, she walks in with a big wooden crate in her arms. The twins follow their mother inside carrying gift bags, once they see their Uncle, they rush past their mother's legs, "Uncle D… Uncle D…" Little voices cry out from two little bodies hurling themselves at Damon. He crouches down on to his knees, not quite realizing how much he missed these munchkins until he sees the smiles on their faces as they both collide into his arms at the same time. Damon laughs, "Geez, you two, what happen? I think you grew a foot taller each while we were gone. Who gave you permission? I want to know now, who did it? Did Mom or Dad? Zio? Who was it? I'm going to kill them now." As Damon tickles and laughs with them, he hugs and kisses the tops of their heads.

Bonnie and Elena walking from the kitchen, each holding a bowl filled with ice cream covered in crushed cookies, talking in between bites, look up and see Damon being attacked by the twins. Elena can't help herself, the pregnancy hormones get the best of her, and she starts to tear up, "He is going to be the best Dad." Bonnie surprises herself as a tear falls down her cheek, "Who would have thought that the evil selfish vampire Damon Salvatore was such a human softie when it came to kids!"

Damon bellows from across the room, "I heard that I'm not a human, I'm a witch."

Caroline put the wooden crate down, she sped over to Elena, "I have missed you!" she hugs Elena tightly, "Boy, did you pop out while you were gone. You look amazing." Caroline couldn't help it, she rubs Elena's baby bump, "Hello, there… Woww…. Can you show me yourrrr." Caroline stares out in the distance, the whites of her eyes are blood red, the irises of her eyes are golden amber, her body is rigid. Bonnie puts her bowl down on the table and rushes to Caroline, and tells anyone, "Get Stefan."

Footsteps are coming down the stairs at that moment, Stefan fresh from the shower, hears his name being yelled from Elena's voice. He hurries his pace, as he turns on the landing, he sees Caroline, "Bonnie, how long?" Bonnie answers, "Less than a minute, I don't know where the crystal is." Lizzie is the one that answers, "I know, it is in Mommy's purse pocket. I can get it." She jumps off Damon and runs to the wooden crate. Stefan is right next to Lizzie when she finds the Amazonite Crystal in the side pocket, Stefan takes the crystal from her hand, "Nice job, Lizzie, now let's get Mommy back from her adventure, shall we?" Lizzie nods her head and says, "Is she going to tell us where she is visiting now?" Bonnie takes on this question, "Of course, she always tells us about her adventures."

Damon is looking at Caroline, she has her hand on Elena's baby bump. He immediately goes to Elena's side, "Is the baby ok? What is happening?" Elena confused, "I have no idea, we are fine, the baby is fine, I'm fine. I don't feel anything different at all." Bonnie tries to calm him down, "Damon, Elena and the baby are not in danger at all. Caroline is having a vision. Right now, her vision has taken her soul either into the past or future." Stefan takes hold of Caroline's hand and gently opens her palm, "Honey, it's time to come back home now." He puts the crystal in her palm and closes her fingers around it. Caroline's entire body jerks and her eyes stare at him. Stefan grabs her tightly, "Hey there sweetheart. It's Stefan Salvatore, your husband. You are Caroline Forbes Salvatore. You are at the Salvatore Mansion. Are you with me, yet?" Caroline blinks and looks around, then she looks back at Stefan. Stefan's softened voice beacons her, "Hey there, I see you." He smiles and loosens his grip on her, "Welcome back, let's get you to the sofa." He gently lifts her in his arms bridal style, like it was the most natural thing to do.

Damon completely startled, "What the hell just happened!" He is so confused, everyone is acting like this was a normal occurrence, he continues, "Is she possessed, did something happen to Elena, to the baby? Someone better start talking?" As the last word comes out of Damon's mouth, a wind current sweeps through the front door.

Bonnie uses her magic to shut the front door, then turns to Damon, "Damon, sit the hell down and relax. As always you are being such a Drama King. We are about to tell you and Elena about OUR adventures while you were on your honeymoon." Stefan gently stroking Caroline's hair while she is slowly realizing what is going on, starts to talk in even and comforting tones, Stefan takes over the conversation, "At the Armory, Ric has been finding more caves that have been magically cloaked. These caves have magical artefacts in them. Our Caroline found an artefact that dates back to Demetrius, actually older. It turns out, this little green crystal is an amazonite stone, mystical in origin and it belonged to our magical ancestor's, Gaia's daughter, the Goddess Themis. She was the goddess of divine law and order, she also had the mystical gift of sight." Caroline sits up, "I was at the Armory with the girls and the crystal glowed, at least that is the best way of explaining it when I hovered my hand over it, the stone would twinkle. Things happened and I touched the stone. All the mystical energies that were housed in the crystal were transferred to me. Now I'm a Mystical Seer, every once in awhile, I get a vision. When I do, my soul gets teleported into the vision and the crystal puts me back into my body. If I'm holding the crystal during the vision, then it isn't a problem, I stay in my body the whole time." Stefan chimes in, "Brother, which is a reason we are happy you are home. I want to see if you and I can chip a piece of that crystal off so that I can have a necklace or some sort of jewelry made for Care to wear all the time."

Elena laughed, "Another daylight ring." Caroline responded, "Bitch!" Bonnie roared in laughter, with ice cream dribbling out of her mouth. All 3 of the ladies started laughing until tears came down their cheeks. Stefan and Damon looked at them with completely squinted eyes and arched brows, basically, they were thinking their wives and friend had gone crazy. Bonnie took pity on the brothers, "The laughter stems from an old conversation. Trust me, you had to be there. And NO we aren't crazy." The ladies started laughing again.

Stefan rolls his eyes, "Ever since we figured out that she isn't dying, Care has had some fun with her visions. Two weeks ago she got a vision off of me from 1864 with Katherine. That was a lot of fun trying to explain." Stefan threaded his fingers through his hair. Caroline laughs, "I've also had informative visions about Demetrius and Silas, don't forget those. And don't be so dramatic, I only asked why you were so stupid since she was so manipulative. And they were falling for all of it, with their tongues hanging out, drooling…Seriously, Damon, she was so blatant about it, I can't believe you of all men. Elena, you should have seen her. It was like watching a bad Jessica Rabbit cartoon. She would flutter one eyelash and they would" Damon interrupts, "Caroline, we lived through it. WE don't need a play by play. Can we move on to what and why you are having visions of our past?" Stefan was thankful that his brother got back on topic, "Yes, so Care has visions of both the past and the future. Her visions are filling in some of our knowledge gaps. She also has the ability to see the magical essence. Care, why don't you explain it?"

Caroline looks at Elena and then at her baby bump, "Ok, Elena, I wish I could take a picture of you through my eyes right now. Your body has a beautiful white glow around you, and Peanut has greens, blues, browns, and yellows around your baby bump all the colors are clear and bright, meaning good positive magical energies. You and your baby create earth magic. Damon has the same colors around him, some of his colors aren't as translucent or clear and bright as the baby's are, that means that Damon's magic has the ability to turn dark. Damon has the ability to use his magics for good or for dark purposes, it's up to him. It is the same with Stefan and Bonnie's magic, their mystical colors show the same characteristics. We have figured out the more mature you are with your magic, the more control you have over it, meaning, the ability to practice free will to use your magic for good or dark, that is why the colors around you can change to either translucent or cloudy."

Caroline looks up at Stefan, he nods his head, she continues, "I can see all types of magic. If something, anything actually has a mystical energy, I can see it. Basically, all of Mystic Fall is a hotbed of mystical energy. Pretty much every Founding family member is surrounded by mystical energy, even the Fells." Caroline stops for a moment, she watches as the information settles into the minds of her family. Elena is the first to start talking, "If Mystic Falls is a supernatural lighting rod, then the founding families were drawn here. Does that mean all of them are supernatural? We already know that the Lockwood's carry the werewolf gene, the Salvatore's are witches, and Gilbert's hunters. That leaves the Fells and Forbes." Caroline adds, "Plus the Bennets and Maxwells, Matt's family line." Damon smirks, "That's right, Donovan's a Maxwell." Caroline smiles, "Matt's line has somehow crossed over with the Forbes. The Forbes have been the peacekeepers or balancing force. Throughout history, Forbes made decisions to kill or not kill supernatural beings based on their evil intentions. This explains my mother's fondness to Damon, deep down she knew he was a good guy, way down, really down, earth core deep, he was a good guy." Elena interrupts, "Caroline, knock it off. We all know who Damon is now and was. Let's move on with the story." Caroline winks at Damon, "I have to give him some grief, Elena, after all, he is Damon Salvatore." Damon gives Caroline his classic eyebrow wiggle with a special sparkle to go with it, then raises his hands and shrugs his shoulders in a 'what can you expect' wordless answer. Elena looks back and forth between the two family members and shakes her head, she then speaks directly to Stefan, "Will they ever stop giving each other a hard time?" Stefan laughs, "Has Jeremy ever let an opportunity go by of giving you a perfectly timed insult or the embarrassing personal fact you are hoping not to share with everyone? Elena, give up, they have officially reached sibling status. We are doomed to an eternity of misery." Everyone got a laugh from that statement. Damon grinning, "Ok, Stef, I'm over it, at least the misery part. So does this mean that Care is our new secret magical detection device?" Caroline sits up taller, "That's me, Team Salvatore's secret weapon."

Caroline continues to explain her new magical power, "The Fell's were a bit harder for me to figure out. I went around all of the local Fells. None of them had much mystic energies, with the exception of the youngest baby boy, I think his name is Thomas, named after his ancestor and Mystic Fall's Founder Thomas Fell. I have a feeling that wasn't exactly an accident, fate might be putting something into play. For now, his magically energies are completely pastel and white with a bright emerald green surrounding him, exactly what a mystical medical baby should be. Here is the important part, when I went to the Fell's donations to the City Hall Founder's archive, ALL the artefacts were supercharged with mystical energies. We are talking every single piece, even the rifle and dinner place setting. If the girls touch them, they would be super juiced for days."

Elena starts shifting around anxiously in the sofa, Damon stands and extends his hands to her, knowing that she needs to walk around a bit. Elena looks up and smiles, she takes his hand and feels the strength of his casual assistance that brings to her to a standing position. She bends back with her hands on the back of her hips, giving a nice relaxed stretch, thinking about everything that Caroline is saying as she walks around the facing sofas. Elena looks at Caroline, "All the Founding Families are magical?" Caroline nods her head and continues, "Mystic Fall's is a mystical hotbed. We are a magnet for the supernatural. Basically, if you have a speck of magic in your DNA, you are going to find yourself on a trip to our quaint little town."

Damon knows what Elena is thinking, "It is nice to know we are just the next generation of supernaturals. All of us are just another branch of the old Oak Tree." That gets Elena's attention and Damon a smile. Damon formulates a few thoughts, "Stef, am I correct in assuming that you have already mapped out the hot spots around town and specific areas of major concern that we should be keeping an eye on?"

Caroline and Stefan look at one another with gloating smirks, when Stefan answers Damon's question, "We've been doing just that. In the library is a map of Mystic Falls and the surrounding area, Caroline has it color. She will go over it with you later."

The front door opens, all the heads turn as Ric walks in, "What did I miss?" Elena walks over and throws her arms around him, "Just us coming home. I have missed you." Ric wraps his arms around her, "That little one inside there is getting bigger." Elena steps back and rubs her baby bump, "I know, I'm officially fat." Damon corrects her, "You are gorgeous, sexy, beautiful, amazing and growing my child. SO watch your mouth, Peanut can hear your words. No Body shaming MOM!" Ric adds, "Elena, you look radiant. The most beautiful " He stops and looks up at Caroline, then continues, "Actually, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but, I'm surrounded by the most beautiful women in the world. You and Bonnie remind me so much of Caroline and how she just glowed with Lizzie and Josie. I'm going to risk my life and say she never looked more beautiful and radiant." Caroline snarled just a little, "Hey, I'm a hottie now too. But I'll let you live, just because our daughters love you." And blows him a kiss. Caroline knows that he still harbors some of the love that he felt for her when they were raising the girls as a traditional family unit. They were in a good place, open and honest, she loved Ric as a friend, as family, as the father of her daughters, she would always be there for him, but her heart, her soul that belonged to Stefan. Ric knew that, understood it and supported her. That didn't stop that look from coming across his face every once in awhile, when he was looking at her and remembering a specific feeling or thought. She knew the look, that look always made her feel warm and loved inside, Ric would always have a special place in her life. She returned his look with a bright smile that said 'your special to me too', Ric looked away from Caroline and put his attention back on Elena, "So little Momma, how do you feel?"

Elena still rubbing her baby bump, "Hungry all the time now, I swear, all I think about is my next meal. Speaking of food, I'm heading the kitchen for a snack." She leans on her toes and kisses his cheek, "I missed you." And heads to the kitchen. Ric smiles, "She never changes, all she has to do is look at me, and it makes me feel like the most important person in her life. How does she do that?" He looks around as just about everyone makes some sort of physical gesture to agree with his statement, that just is the magic of Elena. Back to what he walked into, Ric notices everyone is in a serious mood, "So what did I walk in on? Conference? Strategy session? Barn burning?"

Caroline stands up, walks over to the liquor cart and pour a bourbon, "We just brought Damon and Elena current with my new mystical powers." Ric smiles at how Caroline's voice always has such pride when she says 'My mystical powers'. He sits down in one of the leather chairs in front of the fireplace as Caroline brings him the bourbon. Ric is not surprised by the gesture, she continues to talk as she goes back to her seat and sits down, "The other part that has been interesting is how many objects have mystical energies. Damon, you wouldn't believe how many things here at the Mansion, especially the stuff you guys kept from before you turned. Almost everything has magic in it." Stefan adds, "Everything, except the Football. Our football is a dud. Can you believe that? After all the hours that we put on that ball, even with Katherine, I honestly thought there would be some sort of mystical something on it. Care said nothing." Stefan was sincerely disappointed, Damon smirked at that one, and he knew that Stefan was hoping there was a magical reason why he lost to his older brother with that old football. Damon changed his thoughts to what Caroline was saying, "Are we talking good or evil magic?" Caroline answers, "Less specific magic and more mystical energy, something that the girls can harness for their magic. The real answer to your question is either, it is the magical power that can be used for good or evil. It depends on who is able to access it. That is the interesting part, Bonnie tried to access the energy from a few of the objects, like the pewter candle holders in the library. They had the strongest energy source." Caroline got up and picked up one of the candle holders. Damon stands up and walks over to her, "I remember this, it was in Mother's room. It was on top of her Armoire. I don't think I ever saw it with a candle in it." Elena walks back into the room, just as she touches Damon's arm a spark flies between Damon and Caroline.

The year is 1835. Damon and Caroline are watching a young Lillian Salvatore sitting in a rocking chair, it what is clearly a baby's nursery room, rocking a small infant by candlelight. They recognize the candle holder immediately. Lily's voice gets their attention, "My beautiful little girl, are you smiling for Mama. Oh, I think you are. My precious Cathalina." Damon and Caroline look at one another, Caroline mouths 'who is that?' Damon's shoulders go up and down in confusion. Hiding behind the heavy drapery windows, they stay hidden.

Lily stands up, and lays the infant into an ornately carved wooden cradle, "Sleep my precious one, please. You must sleep. Please try not to dream. Your father does not understand your dreams. He is not an open-minded man. You slumber peacefully. I shall be but a moment from your side." Lily left the room.

Damon and Caroline come out from behind the curtain, Caroline asks in a whisper, "Do you know this room? Damon shakes his head no, he walks to the cradle, and looks into. Damon looks down and see a carbon copy of himself as a baby, his raven black hair, his crystal blue eyes, his nose, even the same rose colored lips. This baby was dressed in pink clothes, pink bonnet, pink blanket, he looked around and all the walls had pink wallpaper, there were dolls on the shelves. This was a girl's room. This baby couldn't be him, this was a little girl named Cathalina. Caroline put her hand on his shoulder, "Damon, she's a witch. I can see all her power around her. Your mother was talking about her dreams. I don't think they are dreams. I think the baby is giving your parents visions and they don't understand them." Damon put his hand down, and the baby grabbed his finger, she smiled and started moving her arms and legs. Damon knew, "Caroline, this is my sister. What happened to her? Why did we never grow up with her?" Caroline doesn't have an answer, "Maybe we can find out, Damon, someone is coming up the stairs, we need to hide." Damon doesn't want to, he releases his finger from his sister's grasp. The two-time travellers head back to their hiding place by the windows. Giuseppe Salvatore follows Lillian into the nursery, "Lillian, that child has the devil in her. You know this. Those dreams, you had them when she was inside your womb. And now, that child is cursing all of us, everyone in this household." Lily stands in front of the cradle, in front of her daughter, "No, she is a baby. There is nothing evil about her. Giuseppe, please, just look into her eyes, you will see. She has my eyes and your mouth. Please she is us, she is a Salvatore, she is our daughter, our firstborn." Giuseppe Salvatore was never a man to be persuaded once his mind was made up, "The Bishop will be here tomorrow. The tests will be performed, as my wife, you will support this, I demand it. And if the tests are positive. The Bishop will know what must be done next. He will have our full cooperation in this matter. Do you understand, Wife?" Lily lowers her head, "Yes, husband, I understand." Satisfied with his wife's response, Giuseppe turns and leaves the room. Damon starts to leave the cover of the heavy drapery, Caroline grabs his arm and shakes her head. Lily turns to her little baby girl, "You have shown me dreams of two other boys, your brothers, Damon and Stefan. Oh my little Cathalina, I don't know what to do. Do I run with you and never meet them? Or do I risk you, and wait for them? Somehow, I think that decision was just taken away from us. I wish I could make you understand somehow to please just be a baby, an innocent baby tomorrow." Lillian was a godly woman, she got down on her knees and intertwined her fingers, "Please God, protect this innocent child, she is a blessing. My daughter is not evil, she has a gift, I yet do not understand. I need time to learn, to understand. She has shown me there are brothers to come, more innocent children that you have chosen for me to bring into this world. Please dear God, help me protect my daughter."

Damon and Caroline felt the pull, Caroline knows what is going to happen next, she quickly scans the room for every detail she can, something in the on the table right next to the cradle gets her attention, a statute, she focuses on it, she tries to clear her vision by blinking, it is too late, they were back in the grand hall of the Mansion. Elena was holding Damon's hand, with Peanut's magic, she had seen everything through Damon's eyes. Caroline had the Amazonite crystal in her hand, Stefan was by her side, "Well that was new."

Damon stood up, "Damn him, Fuck him! God, he was a bastard. He had her killed. HE KILLED everyone one of his children. ALL OF THEM!" Damon paced the floors, he needed to break something, murder someone, eat someone, Damon wanted to be a vampire at that moment. Elena understood this part of Damon, "Damon… DAMON… DAMON.. Look at me." She finally got his attention, "Tell Stefan what you heard and saw, you have to talk about it. You can't keep it inside, you are not a vampire any more, no more murder sprees, no more screwing up. You're a witch and a Dad. You are NOT Giuseppe Salvatore." That really did get his attention and Stefan's. Stefan turned to Damon, "What happened?" Damon looked at Caroline, "Care, you ok?" Caroline nodded, "I'm good." Damon put his hand out in front of Stefan, "Come, Brother, I need some air. I need a whole lot of air. I might need to throw around some trees while I tell you all about our time travel trip." Stefan grabbed his hand as his older brother pulled him to his feet. Damon immediately turned and headed out the front door with Stefan right behind him.

Caroline told everyone else what they witnessed. Bonnie was disgusted, "It happened in my family too, in Salem. It was one of the reasons why Emily was indebted to Katherine. Katherine saved Emily's family in Salem, in exchange, Emily and her brother stayed with Katherine." Elena covers her abdomen protectively, knowing that the baby growing inside her was a witch, something as simple as being born on a wrong day would have made a difference on whether Peanut has a happy life or not. The fate of Cathalina Salvatore was not lost on Ric either, "That isn't going to happen now. Our school will make sure of it. Supernatural children will never have to feel unloved again." He looked at Caroline, who nodded in agreement.

Elena knew Damon would want to know everything he could about his older sister. The conversation had turned to the Salvatore journals and archives. Each of them took a shelf of the library and started searching. After quite a bit of time had passed, Ric was the first to find something, Ric held up a ledger from 1835, "I found something, here's an entry from February 1835. 24 yards of pink floral wallpaper. Caroline is that what you saw on the walls of the nursery? Pink floral?" Caroline walked over to him, with a book in her hand, "Yes, it was definitely, pink floral. I wonder how long it took to purchase the wallpaper. If it was something the store had in stock or if it was special ordered. Cathalina did not look very old, maybe 6 months old. She was so young." Caroline put her book down, "I found Giuseppe's journal from 1834, look at this." Elena and Bonnie join them, Caroline flips thru the journal quickly, everyone notices exactly what she was showing. The journal had pages torn out of it, from the month of May, every few pages had a page missing. Elena asks, "Has anyone found the journal from 1835?" Everyone shakes their heads, Elena takes a deep breath, "It's got to be here somewhere. Those Founders wrote about everything." Bonnie goes back to her ledger, "This is strange, I have an entry in one of the Milling records for an infant's coffin on July 12, 1835, with no name." Each of them looked up at the same time, did they just find the date of Cathalina death.

The front door opened, Damon and Stefan had come back. Elena and Caroline put their books down and left the library. The wives entered the great hall and saw their husbands. The brothers looked ragged, they had been using their magic, Damon's hair was wild with leaves in it. Stefan had scorch marks clothes. The wives went directly into the open arms of their husbands, without saying a word, they held them tightly.

Long moments had passed before the brothers eased their grip on the ladies, at last, Stefan looked up, "I can't believe it. We have an older sister. And she was magical. All those years of guilt for killing him, and he deserved it. He killed or had her killed. She was a baby. A little baby. Our sister." Caroline held his head, "She knew you were coming, she showed Lily that her brothers were on their way. She loved you before she even knew what that meant. She was protecting you." Caroline felt a tear on her skin. She walked with Stefan to the sofa in front of the fireplace.

Damon put his hands on his child, he sent a current of his magic through Elena's skin. He got down on his knees and kisses her baby bump. Damon whispered, "You will never be harmed, you are so special. Your gift is so special. You are loved so much. Your father loves you so much, your mother loves you. We will protect you with our lives. You will never know anything but love from your family." Elena heard every word, she stroked Damon's hair while he whispered his promises to their child.

They stayed in the great hall for another hour, just holding each other. No words were said. Damon and Stefan collected themselves in the arms of their wives. They felt the love and support. Their brother bond was stronger, they had felt each other's rage and hatred of Giuseppe. Damon was able to show Stefan everything that he experienced in the time travel through their brother magic. Now it was time to heal, the past has to stop haunting them. That is what they decided after the rage had subsided. The brothers had a future to live and a family to protect. There was a new Salvatore family line that was being made and it wasn't going to be ruled by bigotry or fear, it had Caroline and Elena, who knew nothing but love. Their children would be raised surrounded by love and the supernatural.

Caroline sat up, "Damon, I wanted to ask you about a sculpture I saw in Cathalina's room." Damon looked over at his sister-in-law, "Sculpture?" Caroline took Damon's head in her hands, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She let the image of the room fill her mind and then Damon's, she then focused on the sculpture and let that image float into Damon's mind. Caroline asks, "See the bronze sculpture on the shelf behind the cradle, do you recognize it?" Damon shuts his eyes and lets the image take over his subconscious.

Damon is back in the nursery, he is looking at his mother rocking his baby older sister. He notices that Cathalina is holding on to his mother's finger, just like she had held on to his. He refocuses his attention to the details of the room, he walks past the cradle to the bookshelf behind. He fingers the books on the top shelf, many of them on in the library right now. His hand drops to the second shelf, in front of him was a hand-painted portrait of his parents, they were younger, he guessed, they sat for it right after they were married. Next to the portrait was an expertly crafted wooden box with multiple hues of color and mother of pearl inlays. Damon run his fingers across the top of the box, it looked very familiar, he would have to remember where he had seen this box before. Damon wished he could open the box to see it contents. His eyes rest on the sculpture that Caroline is asking about, he recognizes it, just not from the his Salvatore history, it's from the visions that Demetrius had used to teach him and Stefan about their magical heritage. This was the Goddess Themis and that is the same Amazonite crystal that gave Caroline her magical abilities. Damon turned his head and looked at his sister, then back at the crystal. Could his sister's powers have been transferred into the crystal somehow? When his sister, a witch died, if she died in this room, the psychic imprint would have stayed, because of her age could her powers have been released, just to find the closest mystical object?

Damon breaks the connection with Caroline, they are back in the great hall of the Salvatore Mansion. Caroline gasps, "You know what it is. Damon, don't you? It is the same crystal." Damon answers, "The sculpture is the Greek Goddess Themis, the goddess of visions, wisdom and justice. She was considered the wisest of the oracles and the daughter of Gaia. She was known for being a seer of good and evil." Damon was getting anxious, "Where's Bonnie?" Elena responded, "In the library with Ric." Everyone gets up and follows Damon to the library.

Bonnie looks up from the extra-large ornately carved desk, "How's everyone doing?" Elena, who enters right on the heels of Damon, answers, "Better than expected. Did you find anything else?" Ric answers, "We found quite a bit of purchases, doctors fees and some interestingly missing pages, and then this." Ric lays the ledger open for everyone to see, he puts his finger on an entry dated July 14, 1835 payment to Benedict Fenwick $750.00 US Dollars. Stefan recalls, "Hey, I remember that name from our tutors, wasn't he the Bishop that wiped out the Salem witch coven in 1829." Damon answers, "One and the same, brother. And $750 in 1835 was a fortune. Good ole Daddy was paying for a major sin."

Damon stepped back, he sat in one of the leather chairs, "So we have dear old Daddy who was stupid as fuck when it came to supernatural. He happened to be part of a long line of powerful witches. So if Demetrius was telling us that we were the next in line to be groomed for this major collection of Gaia magic. Wouldn't it make sense that our magical ancestral line would have a helper or guidance counselor of some sort, say a big sister who could see magic auras and had visions to help us." Stefan walks over to Damon, "Hey, Elena's cleansing ritual, it cleared Caroline too. We've been trying to figure out why Care hasn't felt bloodlust since the ritual. This is it, the ritual removed the dark magic, the negative magic that used from the original vampirism spell. That has to be the reason Care was open and accessible for new magic." Ric adds to that, "Transferring magic isn't as easy as opening and closing a door. It has to be linked to the brothers. If your sister was the original seer, she was born into the bloodline, the Brothers bloodline. It was her magical birthright. Since your destinies weren't altered by her death since she died before either of you were born. Her magic had to be preserved. The ancestors must have figured that a Bennett witch, Emily, would have felt or saw the magic in the crystal, and known what to do with it." Bonnie joins, "That makes sense, then when you two bonded with Caroline as soul mate and sister, you created a magical connection to the Brother Magic, to Gaia. You brought Caroline into the Brothers coven as a full member that created the ability for her to be your Seer. When Care touched the crystal, the magic was just going home, to its rightful coven."

Damon furrows his brows, "Does this make Blondie a heretic?" Damon was glad that looks couldn't kill, especially considering the one that he was getting from Care. Stefan gets the conversation back on topic before his wife and brother start a duel, "So we have a Bishop from Boston coming to Mystic Falls to kill a baby witch, a seer witch, and her entire existence is wiped out. Then we are born, Lily 'dies'" Stefan uses his fingers dramatically, "Katherine comes to town, turns us and in the meantime, our Mother was also turned. Seems like someone or thing went through a whole lot of trouble to make sure the Salvatore's of Mystic Falls didn't die out." Caroline answers, "Sounds like the warriors for our army are getting into place."

The six comrades take a breath, each of them feels like a major clue in a Sherlock Holmes Mystery Novel has just been discovered.

Stefan brakes the silence, "Damon, I've always wondered why Father let Katherine stay with us. Giuseppe wasn't the most neighborly or hospitable person. I wonder if it had anything to do with Cathalina, if his guilt had somehow caught up to him." Damon replied, "Maybe so, it didn't do any of us much good in the end. Giuseppe murdered all of us." Damon stood up and walked back to the desk, he picked up the ledger, "Stefan, Do you remember the spring of '60, when the Old Man took Mother to Washington DC?" Bringing the leather-bound book to his brother, Stefan's eyes followed the ledger as Damon put it down in his lap, "Yes, they were away for over a month. What about it?" Damon smirked, "Tommy Fell invited me to their plantation outside of Richmond, he had to conduct some business for his father. You threw the biggest tizzy about being left behind, so I ended up taking you with us." Stefan disagreed, "It wasn't a tizzy, I simply asked if I could go with you. I wasn't fond of father's manager Mr. Wilder, back then." Damon rolled his eyes, "As I was saying, look at these names." Damon's finger pointed to 3 entries on the ledger. Stefan answered, "They worked at the Fell's plantation." Damon shook his head, "Yep, I would put money on it that our family loving father asked Mr. Fell for a Founding Family favor. And these guys are the ones that cleaned up our sister's belonging and buried, destroyed it, or whatever to it." Stefan looks at Damon, "If the sculpture of Themis survived…" Damon is nodding his head up and down, Stefan is thinking the same. These hired hands didn't 'destroy' their sister's valuable processions, they took them.

Ric is watching every look and gesture between the brothers, "If there are more items from Cathalina's room, there might be more of her magic still around?" Stefan brows crease, "More powers intended for Caroline."

All the eyes in the room slowly move to Caroline, with the realization her role just moved up to general in this small army.


	18. Chapter 18 - When Evil Lurks

Chapter 18 – When Evil Lurks

"Damn it, Elena! I haven't done anything, yet. Just because Blondie has a vision of something that MIGHT happen." Damon finishes his rant as he reappears in the kitchen. He quickly realizes he is standing in the middle of the kitchen in only his boxer briefs, with Bonnie, Enzo and Stefan staring at him. His thoughts are said out loud, "Damn it, when is this baby going to be born!" Bonnie starts laughing, "Getting in trouble again?" Damon shakes his head, grabs the mug from her hand and add coffee to whatever is in the mug, and takes a swallow, "Judgy, I don't need another witch on my ass." He turns to his brother, "Would you mind asking your wife to stop telling my wife about visions of things that haven't happen, especially things that I haven't done." Elena walks in the door, "YET, haven't done yet, Damon. Caroline is simply preparing me for some stupid, idiotic future action that I can prevent you from doing. Good morning, everyone." She walks over to the cabinet gets a mug for tea, acting a normal as possible. Damon counters, "Nothing has happened, Elena. You are always telling me how marriage is about communicating, adults communicate feelings. You didn't communicate, you just teleported me to the kitchen, in my underwear." Damon decided that was the point to leave on, he walked out of the kitchen, still muttering words about how he hasn't done anything, even if it happens, no one knows if there was a legitimate reason for his actions.

Ric walks in, "What is going on with him?" Elena responds, "I caught him before he was stupid, he is mad because of it." Ric looks completely confused, "Am I supposed to understand that?" He looks around the room to a lot of sympathetic faces. Elena hands him a mug of coffee, "I'm so glad, I caught you before you headed to the Armory." Ric sipping from his coffee mug, "What's up?" Elena casually walked over to him, and in a lower tone, "I was hoping you and I could talk about restarting my defence training. I'd like to figure out what would work for your schedule." Dead silence took over the room. Ric's eyes travelled to her baby bump, "You want to restart now, while you are pregnant?" Elena nodded her head, "Of course, Peanut is completely fine and healthy. I was doing well before I was a vampire, now that I'm human again, I need to make sure I can protect myself and my child, witch or not. I was hoping to work more with the bow and arrow. I've been practicing a little on my own, I'm really enjoying it." Stefan interrupted, "Does Damon know about this?" Elena turns towards him, "Yes, we have talked about the importance of protecting our child and future children. We as parents need to do all we can to prepare ourselves."

Stefan got a smile on his face, Caroline's vision started to make sense. When Care had told him about the vision of Damon spelling Elena in the Mansion and not letting her out, he couldn't understand why his brother would do something like that. With Elena's request to Ric, the mystery is becoming clear, Stefan decided it was going to be fun to watch this unfold. He knew all too well how Elena was when she got an idea in her mind, he was sympathetic to what his brother was about to deal with, Stefan grin grew wider, he was going to enjoy the complete kiosk and torture his brother's life was about to become when he found out Elena's little plan.

Stefan walks into his brother's bedroom, as Damon comes out of the closet buttoned his jeans, Damon snarls, "Stef, I don't want to hear it, she isn't right, Elena Gilbert Salvatore, all-mighty good girl, righteous to the bone, is not right. She can't get mad at me for something I haven't done yet. I have 181 years of evil that I have done. I'll be damned if I'm going to be blamed for something I haven't done." Stefan tries to hide his grin, "Ok, I didn't come up here to talk about your marriage issues." Stefan threw at Damon at 6 foot wooden Bo staff, "I was hoping you were in the mood for some sparring. We haven't had a good sparring match with Bo staffs in what, 155+ years? Last time, you just came home for leave in 1863, and you were all excited about this new fighting weapon for 'gentlemen'. If memory serves me, Father was not familiar with it. That made you even more eager to master it, and make sure I did as well." Damon held the Bo staff with both hands, gently gliding his hands back and forth along the staff. He looks at Stefan, "Prepare to be bruised, little bro."

After breakfast, Elena is back upstairs, the sun is shining through the windows. Elena thought to herself, 'we are going to have a beautiful spring', she walked to the windows. She was going to open them, the sun undoubtedly had warmed the brisk morning air. As she reached for the window latch, she heard an unusual noise coming from the outside. She slowly opened the double door pane windows just a crack and her jaw actually fell at the sight that came into view.

Stefan jeered, "Almost got you on that one '_Older brother_'" making sure to put a major emphasis on the 'older' brother. 'crack' 'crack' as the Bo staffs slammed into one another. Damon countered, "oh geez, Stef, could you make that one any easier to predict." Stefan takes a wide swing that Damon has to jump over the staff, "Almost clipped ya." Damon responds, "In your dreams, baby bro."

Elena is staring with her mouth open, she isn't sure what to do or say. Her heart rate has doubled in the past 30 seconds, "Caroline, I need you to get the half gallon of chocolate ice cream from the freezer and 2 spoons. Meet me in my bedroom. NOW!" She knows her sister-in-law and BFF for most of her life will not want to miss this.

'crack' swoosh 'crack' 'crack' Stefan turns a 160 to block Damon's sneak attack from the left side, he counters to the right, but misses as Damon pulls a stealth Matrix move. Damon takes a fast leap backwards, "TIME... Stef… TIME!" Stefan laughs, "Getting tired ole man, I'm finally wearing you down." Damon quips back, "Fuck you, just want to take this shirt off, it's soaked and getting in my way." He peels off the sticky garment and throws it on the lawn. Damon puts his hand and points his index finger at his little brother, "Time to teach you some manners, little boy." 'crack' 'crack' and the sparring continues.

Elena's breath gets caught as the scene finishes playing out on the lawn below her, no more than a minute has gone by, she closes the windows, turns her head toward the open bedroom door, "Caroline, bring the Fudge Sauce with you, we are going to need it." Opens the windows wide and pulls the side chairs over to sit in front of the full glorious view of the Salvatore Brothers half-naked, hot, sweaty, and straining their bulging muscles with every stroke of those crazy wooden sticks. She felt the cool breeze of Caroline using her vamp speed, "What's up with the emergency preggo cravings?" Elena didn't say a word, she simply pointed her finger at the window, and Caroline turned her head and dropped the ice cream container, "Holy shit!" Elena picked up the ice cream and opened the lid, she took one of the spoons from Caroline's hand, "Yep. EXACTLY!" Caroline simply sat on the floor next to Elena, opened the fudge sauce jar and poured it into the ice cream tub, and knew that her friend was a genius.

After 10 minutes of watching the brother's 'exercising, the wives were breathing heavy, and the ice cream was almost gone. Elena taking a deep breath, "These hormones are driving me nuts right now. Watching Damon sweaty and all muscl'y, not trying to be gross, but Stef is adding to the picture, both of them together is making this a worthwhile break in cleaning." Caroline laughs, "Sister, not gross at all. Stefan has my heighten vamp, off the charts. As you said, Damon doesn't exactly make the picture worse. Is it my imagination, but has their human bodies actually changed, I mean, Stefan, he has gotten thicker in his shoulders, and maybe a little more in the thighs too." Elena agrees, "I wasn't going to mention this to Damon, yet. I agree they are physically changing, Damon can be so sensitive about the idea of it. When I do bring it up, I will need to pick a good day and a good moment that is what the internal stud will need." They both giggle, hoping not to draw attention. Caroline looks out at the sparring brothers, "Yummy, how long do you think they are going to be at this? My mind has been plotting all types of things to do to him… What is that? Elena, can you see anything at the tree edge right pass the top of Stefan's head?" Elena sits up in the chair, "Nope, what am I looking for?" Caroline focuses more, "I see mystic energies.. faint… dark… There is something back behind the trees. I'm going to go check it out." She was gone out down window, which caught the brother's attention immediately.

Damon and Stefan's eyes looked up to the open balcony window of Elena and Damon's bedroom. Stefan caught a whiff of Caroline's perfume, he let his eyes follow the scent to the direct opposite side of the acreage. He saw Caroline blur to a stop at the tree line, he ran to her with staff in hand, sensing concern from their lover's bond. Now that a general alert had been set, Damon felt his brother's concern, he looked at Elena, who gave him a wave that all was ok with her and the baby, so he set off after Stefan.

Stefan reached Caroline's side, "What's going on?" Caroline squatting down, "I thought I saw so energy colors over here…. (poking at something that looks like gooey tar with flakes of red crystal in it)… Look at this.. Have you ever seen anything like it?" She winds a bit of it on the end of a small twig, and stands up. The brothers lean in to inspect it closer, each of them shakes their heads. Damon asks, "Are you getting anything mystical off of it now?" Caroline twists the twig around in a 180, "Not a thing… But I will say I do feel like there is a shadow like it was mystical or there was an aura around it. I wonder if the bits of red stuff was something at one time?" Damon leans down to the earth ground, "Let me get this collected. We can see if Dorian can find out anything more about it." He uses his magic and creates a stone bowl directly underneath goo substance. As the bowl rises, the tar goo is caught inside, Damon lefts the bowl off the ground, looking at the contents, he notices how the goo has taken the form of the hollowed half sphere, there was something about it. Damon wiggled the bowl, the goo followed the twists and turns of the movement. Stefan and Caroline watched as Damon was working with the bowl, Stefan was the first to break his concentration, "What has your attention?" Damon speaks in a hushed tone, "Not sure, the way this is moving is might be familiar. I just can't seem to place it." He looks up and takes a deep breath, "Stef, too many lives to think back on, all the years as a vampire and the visions with Demetrius, my human brain doesn't work like the old V one, I guess I'm still getting used to that part. It takes a bit more to focus and pinpoint memories." Damon looks at Stefan, who is nodding his head in sympathy and understanding. The three of them turn and head back to the mansion.

The Salvatore Mansion had created a new routine during the next few months. The 3 families and 2 bachelors created a unique live/work lifestyle where family and magic co-existed in a way that no one realized was possible.

Growing families were the priority, it was an amazing change in luck or the fates came into play again when Dr. Meredith Fell came back to Mystic Falls. Elena had run into her at a Founders Event, she was so excited to see her, that Meredith landed on the wall from the hug. Elena and Meredith spent the entire event catching up on the last 5 years, Meredith couldn't believe all that had supernaturally happened to the Scooby group. Eventually, Peanut came up and of course, the lack of open-minded to the supernatural medical professionals that existed in Mystic Falls, Meredith agreed to take on Elena and Bonnie's pregnancy, even though OB wasn't her speciality, she wasn't a novice, she has done more than one rotation.

The first doctor's appointment with Damon and Elena included a 3D imaging ultrasound of Peanut, after the initial exam was done. Elena laying on the exam table with the paper gown, Damon was standing next to her. Damon nervously, "Lena, maybe I shouldn't really be here, this lady medical stuff wasn't really something that us guys were privy too. I'm not so sure… I mean, watching that thing... that stick thing … Psycho doc is going to put it… I'm just not so sure I'm ready for modern medicine." Meredith starts laughing, "Oh my god, this is an ultrasound machine Damon, not an exploding kitten." She did that on purpose, reference one of their adventures, it did the trick, the reference got Damon's attention. Meredith continued, "Damon, you will be fine, this is going on top of the baby, you are going to see everything on the monitor… Here..(pointing at the blank scene).. Trust me, you are going to want to be here with Elena when you see your child for the first time. If anyone in 1860 could have done this, they would have done it." Elena grabbed Damon's hand as Meredith lifted the paper gown above her baby bump, "Elena, the gel is a bit cool." Meredith smeared the lubricant over the baby bump, she turned on the monitor and picked up the ultrasound wand, laid the wand on Elena's belly, pushed a few buttons on the machine.

Damon's eyes went wide, his mouth opened, his breath sucked in deeply, "That's Peanut." Elena squeezed his hand, "That's our Peanut." Meredith grins, "One day, you have to tell me why Peanut. Here's Peanut's legs, arms, there is 5 fingers there, then there are the other 5 fingers, we have 5 toes, another 5 toes here." Damon asks "Any more toes…. 1 more maybe?" Meredith laughs, "Before I answer that, hold on." She pushes a button. And the sound of a heartbeat, a very loud, fast heartbeat is heard. Elena whispers, "Oh my god, Peanut's heartbeat that is the most beautiful sound." Elena feels a tug on her hand, she turns to watch Damon falling to the ground. Meredith stands up and rushes to Damon's side, she notices blood pooling under his head. She gently lifts his head, he has a small gash, "He's ok, he hit his head and needs a few stitches, he's just passed out. I'm going to go get some help so I can get him on the couch. I'll get him stitched up, then we will continue this. This is too much, the big bad evil vampire Damon Salvatore passes out at the sound of his child's heartbeat. I can't wait to see how he explains his injury." Elena tries very hard to hide her smile and hold back her giggle, "Here let me help get him on the couch, I can use Peanut's magic." Elena raises her arms, and Damon glides through the air to the couch. Meredith impressed, "Nice trick, so you're a witch now too." Elena response, "Only while I'm pregnant, something about doppelganger blood and being a battery for Peanut." Meredith made a mental note to ask more questions for medical purposes to help with the pregnancy care, right now, it was about Damon's wound. Damon started moving, "What, hey, Doc, why.. What's going on?" Meredith grins, "You, my friend, had a fight with the floor and the floor won. It seems your baby's heartbeat did you in. Don't worry, you aren't the first expectant father to have this response." Damon confused, "What are you talking about? What response?" Elena looks over at him, "Honey, you passed out." Meredith finished suturing Damon's head up and went back to Elena, "Now that Dad is all fixed up, let's get back to Peanut and Mom, shall we." With the ultrasound machine back on and Peanut's heartbeat playing in the background the images of their baby's body became much clearer. Meredith moves the wand back and forth, "Shall we find out the gender?" Damon looks at Elena, who nods her head 'yes', Damon's voice takes a little higher pitch than normal, "Yes, we would like to know." Meredith grins, "Ok, Peanut , let's see if we have an extra appendage that Dad will have to teach you about." After a minute of wand moving, Meredith stops, she pushes a button on the computer, the image on the monitor focuses. Damon stands up straighter, "That's my boy in there." Elena takes offense to that, "Excuse me, that is my son, who is going to love and cherish his mother, just like his father does." Damon looks into her eyes, his thoughts immediately turn to the future of having to males in their family that are at her beck and call, knowing her, that is exactly what is going to happen. Elena Gilbert has put every Salvatore male under a spell, why not this one too. He bent down and kisses her passionately with the biggest smile on this mouth.

Elena and Bonnie's baby bumps continued to grow, regular visits with Dr Meredith Fell finally put the fathers at ease with a medical stamp of healthy mothers and babies.

The magical powers increase as well. Bonnie's powers mature, she is able to understand the difference between her daughter's magic that was growing inside her. Damon and Stefan's proficiency with magic was growing as well. The three witches together have created new protection spells, even one that eased some of Damon's anxiety on how to keep all the humans and semi-human protected when away from the mansion. Now each of their family had charms that were linked, a simple touch would alert the others that some is going on.

Caroline's visions are also growing, but still not consistent. Stefan and Damon were able to make a pendant from a chunk of the Amazonite Crystal, she was learning how to come & go from the visions. Her visions are mostly of the brothers or of events within their lifetimes, she is able to trigger them with items and concentration, she had not had any vision of a person or event outside of her circle of loved ones. The parts that of her new power that she and Elena had fun with was discovering mystical energy in the Founding Family archives, aka Salvatore, Gilbert lake house, Forbes, and Lockwood attics, they spent hours and hours rummaging through attics and garages.

Elena started back to medical school, she compromised with Damon, only, which meant she was only gone for one full day per week at Whitmore, the rest of the classes were online. Damon and Stefan turned the conservatory into a study for her, a place she could get plenty of light, she was surrounded by earth, plants while pregnant. They even added a water and fire feature, just in case she needed a dose of Stefan's magic for the baby.

Ric's goal of creating a place for the twins to learn and be safe was becoming a family priority. Jeremy had returned home with a story of two orphaned werewolf kids with no one to protect them. He met them in North Dakota, he had to leave them in CPS, he hated it. Jeremy knew their lives were going to be hell, he made sure to get the social workers name and contact information. He told everyone as soon as the armory was up and running, he wanted to take a trip with Caroline and get those kids, bring them here. The family was impressed at the commitment in Jeremy's voice. They knew he wasn't going to give up on these kids. It put the Lockwood School for Gifted Children (Everyone had voted to name the school after Tyler as a founding member of the Scoobies, he would be honored) Every week the armory looked more like a school. Everyone pitched in, Stefan and Damon put their 1800's construction and craftsmanship into as many details as possible. Damon wasn't above using magic whenever possible for labor cuts, he often used it for pounding nails and sawing wood. Stefan would not admit it, his abilities with fire made a biggest difference in timing with welding and ironwork. Before the plumbing contractors were finished with their work, the brothers had the main entryway and most of the classrooms finished, they were halfway door with the student dorm rooms by the time the kitchen was started.

Stefan bought Caroline a birthday present, the Mystic Falls local news channel 3 Action News TV station, it wasn't the strongest signal, but it was hers. She loved news production, it also gave them a direct connect to anything weird that happened, she immediately set up a hotline with a reward for the weirdest tip for Mystic Falls happenings. She had a staff of 4 that she loved and could boss around as much as she wanted. She could take the girls with her to work, they had their own office, which was actually a playroom, but they called it an office with their names on the door.

Life had taken on a new normal for the Salvatore brothers, Damon and Stefan had bonded in ways they never knew possible, not just with each other, also with their wives and friends. Stefan stood pouring the bourbons as was his evening ritual when he left the Armory before his brother. He had left an hour ago, he was showered and changed, and he had just hung up with Damon.

He was thinking about what Damon said on the phone, when Lizzie came running into the Library "Zio...Zio" as she jumped into his arms, Stefan squatted down, "I got you, what happen?" Lizzie cried in his shoulder, "There is a monster in our room. Don't let it get me, please Zio." Stefan held her tight, "Lizzie, I will never let anyone or thing hurt you or Josie. Tell a little bit about the monster, so I know what type of spell I need to prepare to fight it. Ok?" Lizzie put her sweet little 4 year old arms around his neck nodding her head up and down. Stefan looked into her eyes and saw complete fear, "Were you laying on your bed when the monster scared you?" Lizzie answered, "No, I was drawing a picture of me and Josie at my desk. I miss Josie." Stefan trying to comfort her, "I know, she and Mommy will be home soon. Did you see what the monster looked like?" Lizzie tried to answer, "Yes, it had red eyes and bigger teeth then Mommy's vampy face. I didn't like its hands they hurt my skin." She showed him her wrist, there was a red inflamed rash, it looked like a reaction to werewolf venom. Stefan looked at her wrist, "Now that is an ouchie, let's see if we can make this all better."

He took her into the kitchen, and got a bowl of cool water, he put his hand into the water, circling the water, he filled it with his magic. "Ok, Lizzie, put your arm into the water, and you need to take all the magic out of the water, ok, siphon it all." Lizzie looked into Stefan's eyes and nodded, she lowered her hand into the water, the fizzing attached to her wound immediately. Stefan noticed the rash was healing, the redness was fading, and he started to breathe again. He heard the front door open, quietly he said "Someone might be in the house." Stefan wasn't sure who came home, he knew Enzo or Caroline could hear him, Damon already knew something was wrong, as he alerted him through the brother magical bond.

Bonnie came in the kitchen, "Enzo is checking the house now. Are you ok?" Stefan handed Lizzie to Bonnie, "Can you stay with Lizzie? I need to see what gave her that rash. Lizzie, tell Aunt BeeBee what the monster did and looked like, ok?" Lizzie nodded yes. Stefan looks Bonnie straight in the eye, "Kitchen only!" she nods, knowing that Stefan has only spelled the kitchen with protection. He rushes out of the kitchen, ends up in the entry, just as Damon and Matt walk in the front door, Damon questions, "What's the Bro 911?" Stefan tilts his heads, "We have a Super Monster in the house, Lizzie is ok, it came after her, she and Bonnie are in the kitchen." Damon demands, "Elena?" Stefan shrugs his shoulders not knowing. Stefan continues, "Enzo is in the house looking." Stefan looks at Matt's hand, nods that he has the Gilbert ring on. Damon directs, "Matt and I will take the south wing. You go find Enzo and Elena, last time I talked with her, she was going to take a nap." Stefan ran up the stairs, Enzo caught up to him in the hallway, "There is a black tar on the floor of the girls' room by the window, I checked the entire room, it seems to be clear. What are we looking for?" Stefan shakes his head, "Might be a werewolf, but I don't think so. Lizzie's injury looks like a reaction to werewolf venom, it wasn't a bite. I don't know, let's just keep looking. We have to warn Elena, Damon said she was taking a nap." They head toward her bedroom. Enzo could hear Elena humming to herself with lots of movements, she was not resting. Enzo whispers, "She is up." Stefan knocks on the door before opening it, "Elena, we've got a situation." Elena turns quickly, "What's up." Stefan answers, "Someone or thing got into the girls room and came after Lizzie, she's in the kitchen with Bonnie. Damon and Matt are searching the south wing." Elena drops the baby clothes she was folding, and lifted her shirt part way. "Stef, give the baby a boost, we can help Bonnie." Stefan agreed, he lit the candle on the nightstand, pulled the fire into the palm of his hand and placed his other hand on the bare skin of her exposed baby bump. Elena closed her eyes, she could feel her son absorbing Stefan's magic, she knew what to do next, she stretched out her hand and concentrated, the fireball appeared on her palm, she opened her eyes, "Ok, I'm ready." She snapped her fingers and the fireball disappeared. Stefan nodded, "Go to the kitchen, Bonnie is there, keep my spell up and call Caroline, let her know what is going on. See if Bonnie learned any more from Lizzie." Elena nods, "Be careful." As she heads out the bedroom door. Stefan and Enzo follow her out and down the hallway toward more rooms. They carefully check each one, finding nothing.

Meanwhile, in the south wing, Damon and Matt are going room by room. Matt has his gun drawn as he covertly wraps around each corner, Damon keenly aware of each sound in the hallway, they come to Bonnie and Enzo's room, Damon holds his finger up. He puts his hand flat on the door, closes his eyes. He opens them quickly and points at the door, letting Matt know something is in there. Matt takes a step back, postures in the ready, Damon slowly opens the doorknob with one hand, and has the other ready with a stunning spell. The door opens wide and a black beast comes charging at them, Matt fires his gun, emptying the magazine, Damon sends the spell, freezing the monster it's tracks. Both Damon and Matt take a breath, the danger has passed for the moment. Matt says, "This is a new one. Where do you think this came from?" Damon smirks, "Hell if I know. I'm pretty sure, not the Atlanta zoo." This monster was 5 feet long with 2 legs in the front and 4 hind legs each leg ended with 6 clawed toes. It's head had the shape that reminded them of a werewolf but larger, much larger, small red eyes, long pointed nose and a wide mouth with octopus like suction cups all around it. It was covered in a feathered pelt, Damon thought it reminded him of the crows he used to control when he was a vampire. Matt askes, "Do you think it is dead?" Damon answers, "I turned it's muscles and organs to quartz. I don't think it can do much more living." Matt questions, "Quartz?" Damon responds, "Easier to view under a microscope. I've been helping Elena with microbiology." Damon shrugged his shoulders. Matt laughed as he put his gun away, "Man, you really are whipped."

Stefan and Enzo hear the gunshots, they run towards them.

In the kitchen, Bonnie, Elena and Lizzie are sitting together at the table talking about how her Uncles are all looking for the monster and once they find it, they will make sure to tell it to go away and never come back. Lizzie proceeds to tell them that she has the best uncles in the world, a vampire, a hunter and 2 super power warbots, Bonnie can wait to call Damon by his new nickname. The gunshots get their attention, Elena stands up, Bonnie looks at the door, then, 3 black feathered beasts with red eyes and claws come through the windows without breaking the glass. Elena grabs Lizzie, puts her under the table, slides the chairs in front of her. She stands in front of the chairs and starts hurling fireballs at the two coming from sink windows, Bonnie was a brain aneurysm making it crumble to the ground as his head oozes black goo from every feature. Elena's two are on fire still clawing their way towards the girls, when Elena throws a spell that turns them into stone. This freezes them in their tracks. Elena notices their eyes are still red. She runs to the cabinet and grabs a cast iron pan, she does the best imitation of home run swing she can come up with and sends chunks of concrete monster pieces all over the kitchen. Elena takes Lizzie into her arms and covers her eyes to make sure she doesn't see anything, Bonnie knows that Lizzie can siphon the magic, so she doesn't do a cloaking spell. Bonnie tells Lizzie, "I want you to close your eyes, so you don't see the monsters, Aunt E and I made a big mess of them, I promise you, they can't hurt you or us anymore." Lizzie did what Bonnie asked and closed her eyes tight. Lizzie chatters, "I'm going to tell Mommy that my Aunties kick butt too" Elena and Bonnie look at each other shaking their heads, if this little one only knew.

Elena had Lizzie in her arms on the couch, when everyone gathered in the living room. Enzo vamp'd to Bonnie, put his hand on his child, "Are you two ok?" Bonnie nods her head, "We are better than ok, we are perfect." Damon sat next to Elena, mouthed 'OK' she nodded back. Lizzie climbed onto Damon's lap, "Uncle D, Auntie E, she made 2 of the monsters break into pieces with a frying pan. You are wrong, Auntie E knows how to use a frying pan." Damon was completely confused as to what emotion to show first, joy that Lizzie was fine and not traumatically damaged from the experience, annoyed that he just got outed for accusing Elena of not knowing how to cook, completely freaked out that Elena and Bonnie were attacked in the kitchen. Damon looked at Elena, but Bonnie answered "Three came through the windows without breaking glass. Elena took care of two of them, I got the third. Lizzie was completely safe the entire time. So were WE!" Damon took Lizzie in his arms, "Of course, Auntie E knows how to use a frying pan, I bet she hit those monsters really hard with it." Lizzie bounced her head up and down agreeing with a big smile, she leaned in putting her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "Don't tell Auntie E or Auntie BeeBee, I was scared for a minute. They weren't, they were mad at the monster for interrupting on girl time in the kitchen. But I was scared. I forgot to use my special magic you gave me." Damon put his arms around her, held her tightly, "Baby, you did just like you were supposed to, you listened to your Aunties, you stayed right where they said. Most importantly, you didn't let those monsters get you. I got you. No one gets Team Salvatore." Lizzie "Can I stay right here with you, I promise I won't make noise while the grownups talk." Damon squeezer her, "Little Bug, you aren't going anywhere, now shush, and rest for a while." Lizzie yawned with her arm firmly around Damon's neck, she closed her eyes and the monsters didn't bother her at all.

Damon kept his voice at a mild tone as not to disturb Lizzie, "So what the hell are those things? Matt and I got one in Enzo & Bon Bon's room. We need to get in contained." Bonnie answers,"Everything in the kitchen happened so fast, I think I might have recognized it as a hell hound from one of the etchings at the armory. Ric and I were discussing something about my witch ancestors and the hellfires the night that we sent Katherine back to hell. Do you think she found a way to mess with us again?" Damon and Stefan looked at each other. Elena answers, "If she did, we have the upper hand now, since I'm a Petrova with doppelganger blood. If it was her, she would have to use her blood to create the hounds, since she's a dead human. If we can get some of the monster goo, we can find out if there is anything that bonds to mine. Right?" Damon shakes his head, "It can't be that easy, if it is Katherine, she knows that too. More importantly, she knows that we know that. Elena is a Petrova, Katherine is a Petrova, we do the spell it might give Katherine a foothold on earth again. Too many what if's for us to try anything until we know more. If this has anything to do with Katherine, we have to be extra careful and knowledgeable before making any move at all." Stefan voice has complete distain, "Agreed, Going through glass, that doesn't sound very hell like. Heat melts glass. How does something go through glass without breaking it?" Enzo adds, "For tonight, is there a barrier spell or something that can keep us safe from unwanted guests? " Bonnie starts thinking, "If Elena and Stefan can offer some Doppel blood, I can put a barrier spell around the entire house." Damon interrupts, "No, Bon Bon, that will require too much Bennett blood. I know that spell. I think I have a better idea. How does everyone feel about a camping trip? Just for tonight." Stefan smiles, "That is a great idea, the Temple cottage"

Caroline and Ric walk in the doors with a sleeping Josie in his arms. Caroline vamps to Damon, "Lizzie!" Damon leans so Caroline can see a perfectly safe and healthy sleeping Lizzie. Damon assures her, "Stefan healed her right away. She is fine." Caroline walks over to Stefan, "Healed her?" Stefan pulls out his cell phone, Ric joins them looking at the photo Stefan took of the rash. Stefan uses his calm voice, "We want to stay at the Temple tonight, all of us. The creatures came in through the glass windows without breaking the glass. Caroline, this might be a mark. Damon and I want to get the girls into the pond. We want to make sure there is no dark magic. I cleansed it right away. It's the girls, we want to make sure and not take any chances. They are Gemini twins, there is a chance that it can transfer to Josie without direct contact." Ric shakes his head yes, "It could be a mark. That is the safest place, the cottage offers the best protection. I'm going to take what I can of these creatures back to the Armory and see what Doran and I can come up with." Matt agrees, "I'm going to join you. I've go the sheriff's computer connected there now, I can log in and see if there are any reports with similar MO's. We need to get on top of this." Caroline pissed off, "Where are these things that came after my girls?" Matt offers the answer, "Damon and I got one in Enzo and Bon's room. I'll go with you." Bonnie gets up, "Hold on, let me get a bag and spell it, just in case, we don't want anything to get loose." Stefan walks toward Caroline, "Let me come to I'll add some silver to your spell, if there is any werewolf to this creature, it will help. Matt, for the goo, there are silver goblets in the dining room, we should use to collect it." Matt nods, "Good idea." Enzo follows Caroline and Bonnie, "I'll do the heavy lifting, Ladies."

Damon still holding a sleeping Lizzie, looks at Ric with Josie in his arms, "We should get the girls to the pond tonight. We don't know if it really was a mark or not. If it was, Stef and I can pull it out completely from both of them. Ric, I promise, we can protect them." "Elena, I'm pretty sure that whatever this thing is tried or did mark Lizzie. Ric looks at him, "Damon, these are my girls, my life, I can't lose them." Damon knows exactly how his friend feels, "You won't. Ric, we won't. This family needs everyone to do their speciality. You, my friend, are the expert. Give us something on what this is. Stef and I will find out what kind of magic this is and get rid of it. You and Doran give us an idea of where it came from so we can permanently get them out of our lives." Ric hands sleeping Josie to Damon, he touches both his daughters' heads, "My life is in your hands, don't let me down." Damon gives him a look that puts Ric at ease, "Never again my friend, never ever again." Ric goes upstairs to help with the collection.

Elena combs Damon's hair with her fingers, "Your worried about the girls." as she watches him staring at them in his arms. Damon whispers, "I can't get inside them right now, I can usually feel them, when they are siphoning me. I realize they aren't siphon. I just want to know they are ok and safe. Elena, if something is hurting them. Ric and Care will be devastated." Elena leans on his shoulder, "Damon, you will be devastated, you love them, just as much, you don't care that they aren't your blood. They are your nieces, the nieces of your heart. And you would give up your life for them without hesitation. Wouldn't you?" Damon struggling to keep his voice calm, so he doesn't disturb the girls that are secure and sleeping on his lap without a care in the world, "Damn it, Elena. We have to get them to the pond. Now!"

Bonnie comes downstairs, "God that is an ugly thing. It doesn't have much in the way of teeth. Ric and I were talking, it must suck magic or souls. It definitely takes something. Enzo broke it up into pieces, it seems to have mostly chambers, again for storing. Just another thing to re-enforce the idea of sucking monster. Caroline and Enzo are bringing it down now. Matt and Ric got some goo too. It's sticky, no one got it on them. I think the rug is a goner."

Damon giving directions, "When it is safe, the two of you should go upstairs and pack a few things for the cottage. Also get things for the girls. I know that Caroline has all the linens and household items already there. We just need clothes, food, blood bags and the girls toys. You two stay together, no solo mission, promise!" Elena and Bonnie look at each other and then look at Damon, they look back at each other, as their eyes meet, they start to laugh, they know what the other is thinking, how different this Damon sitting on the couch with a sleeping twin in each arm, barking domestic packing lists in the middle of a monster invasion crisis, is from a crazy impulsive Damon of just 1 year ago. The wife and best friend lock arms head upstairs to gather the calm in control Damon's packing list.

Stefan is downstairs, "Where's Bonnie and Elena?" Damon whispers, "They are upstairs packing together. I told them to stay together. I think a witch should be with the twins at all times. Do you agree? Given that this thing went after the youngest witch in the house and the two pregnant witches? Bonnie said it has suckers on the mouth. I'm thinking" Damon did not finish his thought out loud, Stefan was already shaking his head in agreement. Stefan thinking out loud, "I've been thinking about the girls being the only Geminis, that may be why they were targeted, same with your baby and Bonnie. Think about it, we are the first in our coven for over 2,000 years. Bonnie has made a new coven with Enzo & the doppel blood, we have no idea what type of magic will develop from that. Your child is the product of the last female doppelganger with the cure in her veins and an Element High Priest. Elena is a powerful witch using the baby's magic, the baby isn't born." Damon tries not to raise his voice, "Stef, Tell me about it. Elena knows I haven't talked to her about it. She knows that I have been unusually calm about her safety. When she used magic to protect herself from the falling tree…" Damon shrugs his shoulders "That moment was a very tough one, I was terrified if I was still a vampire each and every one of those contractors would have been die in a second. I also realized that Elena understood how to borrow from the baby, and how powerful he is and will be. I've been trying to keep Elena 'juiced' ever since, I appreciate the brother boosters." Stefan nods, "I have to admit, that was a moment I don't want to relive. I think you have something with the coven thing. If our destiny is to bring peace to magic, it would make sense that dark forces would sense that something has changed on the 'good' side. They would be trying join as many covens together as they could. Young, small covens joining together would be ideal. How do we protect the Gemini Coven when the coven's leader is dead in hell and the only other witches are 4 year old siphons with no magic of their own." Damon smirks, "That my brother is a good question. Once we get everyone safe at the cottage, we will start figuring out an answer. In the meantime, will you, please take your kiddos. I'm going to go help the preggos." Stefan leans down and takes Josie from Damon. Damon lays Lizzie on the couch, kisses her forehead as he covers her, Stefan takes the seat Damon relinquishes with Josie in his lap, laying his arm across Lizzie.

Enzo carrying the bag, "This thing isn't exactly on a carb free diet." Damon laughs, "Let me get the door and trunk." walking in front of Enzo, "What's your guess on this thing?" Enzo answers, "Ric was talking about some ancient hell guards. It carries a bit of weight, given that you've have screwed with hell a few times. It does bring up a question, is Mystic Falls the only place that hell fires can be summoned? Matt is going to reach out to Interpol and see if there are any questionable events." Damon dropped the trunk, "That is a question worth looking into. I hate to bring her into it, Sexy Bex would have a good idea on an answer to that question." Enzo grins, "Elena and Caroline are not going to be happy about having the Original Sister back in the party. From the stories Bonnie has told me, the brothers have both partaken of the sexy part." Damon rolls his eyes, "Ancient history, no one even remembers that far back. Caroline joins them holding a paper bag, "Damon, when was the last time you bought Elena diamond jewelry?" Damon questions, "What does that have to with anything Care?" Caroline laughs, "You bring Rebecca back to Mystic Falls. It will have everything to do with it. And you can take your brother to the Jewelry store with you." She hands him the bag, turns around and walks back into the house. Damon concedes, "I think I'll ask Ric if there is a way we can research this on our own first." Enzo grins, "Good idea, Mate." They hear Caroline's laughter in the house. Ric has the car keys in his hand, "Ok, I think we got everything, I pulled some of the rock fragments from the kitchen and the charred remains that Bonnie cooked. Not sure what we can pull from them. Dorian and I will work on them." Damon reminds, "Ric, what if we are dealing with something pre-Cade hell, that is over 1,000 years ago. This pre-Originals, did the Armory have any research that old? Can we actually do any fact finding?" Ric answers, "I think we can hit a few high notes, I'll find out more once I get into the archives. Dorian has been digitizing almost everything from the vaults, so we might be able to have something tonight. Something tells me that you and Stefan might be able to help out with your ancestors with this one." Damon agrees, "We going to ask, right after we make sure the girls are protected and mark free. Girls first, Ric. I'll let you know as soon as we are done." Ric puts his hand on Damon's shoulder. Matt comes out the front door "Do we have everything we need?" Ric nods, "Yep, off to the Armory." Matt opens the passenger door "Ok, I've called the station to have a patrol car drive by here every 30 minutes looking for outlines of people walking in the house, or for the lights off. Make sure to leave all the lights on and the drapes open. We want these things to be seen from the street. None of my guys are coming inside." Damon proud, "Smart thinking Sheriff". Ric gets in the car and off they speed out of the carport and through the driveway.

Damon heads upstairs finds Elena and Bonnie in Bonnie and Enzo's room packing, Elena says, "I'm sure, has to be, we are both pregnant with witches." Damon smirks, "So my intelligent and amazing wife has a theory." Elena and Bonnie both jump just a bit as the sound of Damon's voice, "How's the packing going? Where can I be of assistance, to my two favorite knocked up beauties?" Bonnie throws a rolled up pair of socks at Damon "No beautiful, amazing, powerful pregnant witch wants to be called 'knocked up', remember that Damon, because we both can burn your eyebrows right off." Elena laughs "That's right, grab those two bags to your left. They are for the twins and Caroline/Stef. Bon is done with her and Enzo. We were heading to our room next." Damon questions, "Have you noticed anything unusual?" Elena answers, "Nothing so far. This rug is done for, I asked Enzo to put it into the fireplace before we leave. We should destroy the goo with fire." Damon looks down at the rug "Damn, this was one of my favorites, picked it up in '42. Let's get going." He lowers his head, giving the loss a moment of silence, picks up the bags and heads downstairs.

Bonnie and Elena are in Damon and Elena's Bedroom when Enzo and Damon walk in, Enzo announces, "We have everything so far packed in the SUV, just waiting on this last one." Damon helps out, "Bon, why don't you head out with Enzo, I'll finish up with Elena. We need another witch with to help Stef with the twins." Bonnie nodded and took Enzo's extended hand. She looked back to see Damon wink at her as they walked out the door. Elena suspiciously. "What was that for?" Damon walking over to her, "I just wanted a moment alone with my wife, since we are about to spend the next who knows how long in a small cottage full of people." He takes her in his arms and captures her mouth with his. She wraps her arms around his neck, pressing her baby bump into his body, deepening the kiss much more than Damon was prepared for. Her sweater was off, and her shirt was almost over her head by the time he realized what he was doing, "Damn it, Elena, Do you see what you do to my control!" He said as a demand, not a question. She laughed, "It isn't my fault you are a horny devil." As she reached down and stroked him over the fabric of his pants, he grabbed her hand, "Stop it now!" Elena straightened her shirt, picked her sweater off the floor, put it on the bed, and looked at Damon with a glint in her eye. Damon pointed his finger at her, "Don't look at me like that, we aren't vampires anymore, so there isn't such thing as a quickie vamp sex. And no human quickie either. Elena, you need to stop it and get back to packing. You and your pregnancy hormones are going to be the death of me." Elena grabs his shirt collar and pulls him in for a hard, deep open mouth, passion-filled kiss that sends sparks flying and catches Damon completely off guard, she ended the kiss as quickly as she began it "But what a way to die, my love!" turned and walked into the closet. Damon watched his amazing wife's shapely rear walk away from him, he reached down to re-adjust himself, since her assault left him uncomfortable and painfully wanting. Damon catches a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, he frowned at himself, at 181 years old, when, it came to Elena he had the self-control of an adolescent boy. Elena came out of the closet with her arms full of clothes, "Ok, this is what we need for a few days. Did you get the toiletries?" Damon taking the clothes from her arms, "We are good." He packed the rest of the duffle bag, and zipped it shut. Damon trying to hurry her up, "Elena, let's go" as he puts his arm around her have the bag in his other, they head out the bedroom door.

The 3 vehicle caravan was on its way to the Temple Cottage. Stefan and Caroline took the twins in the SUV packed with all the supplies, Enzo and Bonnie followed in the Enzo's new Mercedes, Damon's Camaro brought up the rear blasting 1970's grunge rock just to keep Elena's hands from roaming places he couldn't handle right now.

The caravan arrives at the Cottage, parking one by one in the front, as the passengers start to exit the vehicles, the last car gets all the attention, Damon pleading, "Elena, I'm sorry, Baby, really, I didn't mean it, honestly. Elena. I was just. Honey." Elena slams the car door. Stefan held up his arms, "Damon?" Damon threw his arms up and rolled his eyes, "Pregnancy Hormones gone wild." Unfortunately for her husband, Elena did not wait for him to help her out, she was facing him on the other side of the car catching his conversation with Stefan. His description of the drive did not help his plight at all, this was made crystal clear as she waved her hand in small circles, then thrusts toward Damon and pine cones from a nearby tree came hurling at Damon, finding their precise aim, his chest, leaving dirt imprints on his shirt. Damon cried, "OUCH, Elena, I'm not a vampire anymore, that actually hurts." Elena yells, "I know!" as she opens the front door of the cottage and walks in, Bonnie and Caroline laughing, not far behind her, "He should know better than to mess with a pregnant woman, let alone a pregnant woman with access to witch powers." Damon sending death looks to his sister in law and BFF, "Not helping ladies, not helping." Enzo hits Damon's shoulder, "Rookie move, Mate. Have no idea what you did. Rookie Move." Stefan hands Damon 3 bags, flashes an "I agree" face at him, loads up Enzo and grabs a couple of boxes and heads into the cottage, leaving Damon completely on his own.

Caroline follows Elena into the living room "So, what happen, what did Damon do?" Bonnie was right behind, holding her baby bump, smiling "Wait for me, I'm in this conversation too." Elena confesses, "I should not have used magic on him. I was just so frustrated. He makes me so mad sometimes." She stopped, maybe he was right, maybe she was being a little bit hormonal. Caroline questions, "Well? What happen?" Elena starts explaining the events, "When we got in the car, he turned on the music, and I asked if I could… " Enzo came into the living room "Sorry Ladies, do we know which rooms are for who yet?" Caroline took over "I will show you. Elena don't say a word until I get back. I'm not missing anything" as she huffed away.

Stefan came in the door, he puts the bags down. He sits next to Elena, she takes a deep breath, she readjusts so that her back is leaning on his chest and his arms are around her, she takes his hands and puts on her baby bump, "If you going to defend your brother, you might as well give your nephew some juice. I woke Peanut up and he is jumping all over the place. Stefan laughs as Elena puts her legs up and settles in for a sermon the virtues of her husband. Stefan starts the lecture, "He is sorry. He is still figuring out this husband and father role. He only knows you one way and now you have his child growing inside. There are so many human considerations that he was never exposed to even as a human. And now he is not just exposed but having to support and react to." Elena yawns, "I just want him to be a normal boyfr.. I mean husband." Stefan laughed "You want an almost 200 year old ex-vampire to be normal. Let alone that specific person is Damon to be normal. You really don't want him to be anything other than Damon. Elena, you magically hurled pine cones at him. That isn't exactly normal behavior yourself there Mrs. Doppelganger." He kissed her forehead as he started playing magic hide n seek with his niece or nephew. Damon walks through the front door, he sees Stefan with Elena and knows that Stefan has calmed her down. Stefan nods his head and smiles, Damon mouths the words 'Thank you, bro' and continues up the stairs to their room.

By the time that Caroline comes back downstairs, Stefan has calmed the baby to the point that now Elena is also sleeping. Stefan whispers, "She is actually sleeping. Peanut was giving her quite the fit." Caroline lifts Elena's legs and sits next to her. Caroline starts talking in a low rhythmic tone, "I am so glad that you get to experience this pregnancy with Damon and Elena. We don't get to do the children thing the normal way. Life really has a way of making sure we get to experience all of it. We have two amazing girls. And now we get to help Elena with Peanut every step of the way. I can't imagine being any more fulfilled in this amazing life." Elena stirs "The best Uncle and Auntie in the world. But lousy BFFs .. Ssshh, I'm trying to sleep." Stefan quietly responds, "Let me help with that." He stands up, and carries Elena upstairs, where Damon is unpacking their bag, he turns the covers down so Stef can lay Elena on the bed. Damon puts his arm on Stef's shoulder to thank him for making sure she was better, Stefan nodded and left the room. Damon turned to his wife and takes off her shoes, he pulled up her shirt just a bit to make sure her pants were unbuttoned, he smiled after seeing that she was wearing the maturity pants she threw a fit about being forced to buy since nothing fit and everything hurt. He took the blanket and covered her, kissed her lips "I love you Elena Gilbert Salvatore."

Damon was halfway down the stairs when he saw Stefan with a glass of bourbon in his outreached arm aimed directly at him. As he reached the bourbon, he took a small sip, he heard Stefan "So you want to talk about that?" Damon nods, "Not really sure what that was about, we were driving along. She was a little upset that we didn't have enough time at the house to.. You know! Pregnancy hormones are the greatest in one area, I might add. To dial the frisk down a bit I put on some grunge rock from the 70's, it isn't exactly her favorite. It worked, she was distracted. Elena started talking about a new haircut after the baby was born. She thought about cutting her hair shorter, she said something about a short bob, whatever that means. I told her that Katherine cut her hair in the 1920's and showed me a photo and it looked really good, very sassy & sexy. Elena went crazy about how she was fat and I didn't find her sexy, I didn't want to make love to her anymore.. On and on about everything that didn't make sense. Then she hurls pine cones at me. She could've killed me." Stefan laughs so hard, he spits his bourbon into the fire and the flames flare, "Being a little overly dramatic brother, apparently, Elena isn't the only one with hormone issues." Damon pissed, "Stefan, you are not helping. My wife is pregnant, she isn't making any sense, and has access to magic. Exactly how am I supposed to handle this?" Stefan explains, "Damon, you are not suppose 'handle' it. You're a husband and a soon to be a father. You have to support her, love her, and just roll with it. And most importantly not come unglued when she does. You were right, she is having an issue with hormones. You don't need to tell her about it. That is stating the obvious. No wonder she hit you with pine cones. Be thankful if you were a vampire, she would have staked you." Damon and Stefan clinked glasses on that statement.

Elena stretches her arms, she opens her eyes, she hears laughter downstairs. Her nap did her a world of good, she feels refreshed. She throws the covers off and looks around the room, she stands up and slowly walks to the wall closest to the door. She recognizes the artwork sized photo hanging of her, Jeremy and Jenna taken the summer after her parents died, Elena smiles at the smiles in the picture, remembering how Jenna had blackmailed her and Jeremy into a weekend at the lake house, then the picnic lunch on that blanket, the blanket from hell, they put their heads down so that the photo could be of the three heads touching at the top. They laughed so hard trying to hold the camera and push the button, three hands doing three things from above the blanket from hell. Elena actually laughed out loud remembering how hard it was to get the photo taken, the next memory she had was when they were looking at all the attempts 27 of them to be exact, this one was the only that captured true smiles and the first time each of them had laughed since Miranda and Grayson died. Elena ran her fingers over the photo, she whispered "Damn it, Damon, how am I supposed to stay mad at you." Even as a the selfish, bad decision making vampire, Damon was a romantic, sentimental fool, as a human and now a witch there was no difference. Damon still made her his world, he turned their cottage room into a little sanctuary, with little mementoes of her life, his life and their life together. On the walls were framed photos and photo collages of them, their friends and family in between, what she knew had to be original artwork with themes of family gatherings. On their dresser was a silver tray with her favorite perfumes and 2 of his colognes, more pictures of family, the largest frame being her favorite photo of them from the wedding. She opened the dresser drawers, the top one had her hairbrush, a selection of hair ties, clips, her makeup bag, the travel size toiletries she had got for weekend getaways and a mini jewelry box. She opened the jewelry box, it was filled with a few of pieces from home and a few new pieces that she hadn't seen before, she was going to wait for Damon to announce what he had done, she closed the box. The rest of the drawers had his/ her underclothes, pajamas and anything that wasn't going into the closet. Her side of the bed nightstand had a large beautiful ornately carved rose quartz crystal, she walked over to it, as she got closer, she realized what the carving was, it was her and Damon dancing, not just any dance, the dance in her dream when Kai put her to sleep, it was his promise of forever, it was sad, but real in his mind and heart. It was so beautiful, a tear ran down her face, as her fingers gently glided over the carving of Damon. She really wasn't ever going to stay mad at him long, she looked up and saw the antique books on his nightstand. There were a few potted plants and flowers around the room, just enough to give a comfy natural look and feel. She absolutely loved it. Her nose got her attention, or her stomach's attention, into the closet for a comfy dress, she was tired of these maturity stretch pants. She knew Damon had unpacked their clothes, their closet was small, just big enough for long weekends and the items that they were going to have on hand. She noticed the new plush robes, she thought how great those would be for night dips in the temple pond, there are also a few new flannel shirts she hadn't seen before, memories of her parents at the Lakehouse came into her mind, as she grabbed the sleeve of one, "Damon, what am I going to do with you!" came out more as a statement than a question. In the back was a garment bag, Elena unzipped it, the color was majestic, a regal amethyst purple silk gown, she puts it out more, lingerie gown. She puts it against her body, and laughs "Well, now I know why this is in the garment bag, in the back of the closet and not in our bedroom at home" she pats her baby bump "I will not fit this until you, my darling Peanut come out and say Hi. I wonder when you Dad bought this for me. Clearly before he realized you were here." Elena put the gown back the way she found it, she wasn't going to let Damon know she found his surprise. She found the day dress she was looking for, light green with yellow and blue flowers, went back to the bed, took off her clothes and put her dress on. She got her hairbrush and hair tie, Elena decided hair up was the way to go tonight. She looked in the full-length floor mirror, she pinched her cheeks, dabbed a bit of lip gloss on, and decided she was ready to take on her husband, out the bedroom she went.

The fireplace was roaring, Stefan was laying on the area rug, he had small golf ball size fireballs in each of his hands that were strategically placed above his head laying on the stonework of the fireplace, the twins were down at his feet, each had a hold of one of his ankles with one of their little 4 year old hands, while the other hand was waving slowly in the air. Bonnie and Caroline were sitting on the couch, completely engrossed in what was going happening on the floor in front of them. To the left was the kitchen, where Damon and Enzo were preparing dinner, the sounds of the knife hitting the wood chopping board would silence when a cheer of encouragement would come from the kitchen. As Elena reached the bottom step, she realized that Bonnie was teaching Lizzie and Josie magic, the twins were siphoning from Stefan. She caught Damon's attention, her reaction to the realization as to what was going on made his heart leap, her smile brightened the entire room from his perspective. Elena saw the floating feathers, "Bonnie, I love this, can you teach me to? I can use Peanut's magic." Elena walked over to the twins, attempted to get to the floor a few times in a graceful manner, before Caroline took pity on her "Just fall into my arms, I got you." The whole falling event was over before Damon could protest. Elena was in and out of Caroline's arm, safely on the floor in a comfortable position with pillows behind her back, courtesy of Caroline's vamp speed.

Damon heart flipped during the brief second he watching his pregnant wife fall into his sister in law's vampire strong arms, that still didn't stop him from feeling incredibly uncomfortable with his human reaction time, he looked down and the knife was still in his hand. He looks down at his hand, he puts the knife down and shakes it out. Enzo pats his shoulder, "Mate, she is fine, there was never any danger. Trust her." Damon looks at Enzo "I'm trying I can't figure out if my mind is having a hard time or my heart, maybe it's both. They are my world." Enzo points with the wooden spoon in his hand "Tell me about it" the aim of the spoon is Bonnie. Damon picks up the knife and starts chopping again "So have you picked a date for the wedding yet." Enzo's stance changes "That bloody woman will not pick a date until our daughter is born. She refuses to wear a wedding dress pregnant. My daughter is going to born illegitimate. I cannot say anything or do anything to change Bonnie's mind. We live in 2020, not 1890 is all I ever hear from her. That witch is getting on my last nerve." Damon agrees, "Bon Bon is a stubborn one, I definitely know that from personal experience." Enzo lowers his voice "I'm sure you are dealing with the same libido issue with Elena." Damon nods his head, "I'm not complaining at all." Enzo confesses, "Last week, I thought I'd try a different strategy, no sex until Bonnie agreed to a wedding date before the baby was born." Damon shook his head, he knew that was not the smartest move to make. "How did she take that strategy?" Enzo whispers, "From your tone and smirk, you already know it was a complete failure. Never realized how mad that my little witch could get, she actually bound me to the bed until…. Well I did what we wanted to do." Damon raised an eyebrow "Bound.. hmm Bon Bon, didn't realize she had the kink in her. Congratulations Mate." Enzo unsettled, "Damon, this isn't funny. I want to marry that witch… NOW.. and she wants to marry me, just not until after the baby is born? What am I going to do?" Damon sympathetic, "She loves you, she is carrying your daughter. She isn't going anywhere. Bonnie Bennett's love moves heaven and destroys hell. You, Mate, need to deal with the fact that you are in love with a modern woman who is independent, powerful and has her own mind. It's hell, don't I know it. But damn it, they are the best." Enzo exhales deeply, as if admitting defeat. Damon puts his hand on his friends shoulder, "Come on man, you are alive'ish, in love with my best friend, the most amazing and a powerful witch, who for some reason, I cannot figure out, loves you with her whole being. Seriously, is there anything else to really want." Enzo puts the lid on the pot, walks out of the kitchen, straight to the backside of the couch, behind Bonnie, leans over her, she looks up, he catches her bottom lip with his mouth and kisses her deeply, "You win love. You get everything you want. The one catch, is we start planning now. So pick the date, after Sheila Emily St John Bennett is born. Because you, Bonnie Bennett, are going to be my wife, from that moment on." Damon in a male pride voice "And that is how you take charge of a situation." Elena and Caroline say in unison, "Wedding planning party!" Stefan lifts his head up and smile as the twins hover feathers over Enzo and Bonnie' s head.

At the dinner table, the conversation turns to the twins. Lizzie asks, "Zio when the monster hurt me right?" Stefan put his hand on her head "Yes, honey, that is what we are talking about. Uncle D and I want you and Josie to be safe forever and ever. That is why we are going to take you to the pond after dinner. Mommy and I talked about it on the drive here today." Josie "I know, we get to swim in the pond too." Caroline "Yes, after you play with Zio and Uncle D's magic." Damon "It is a beautiful night for a swim. I think everyone should come out to the pond. Elena and Bonnie, it would do you some good too." Bonnie "I would love a cool dip, this heat has really got to me today." Enzo "Sounds like a family dip it is." The twins are so excited they start getting out of their seats, Stefan "Hey.. Hey.. Dinner isn't over yet, you haven't finished eating. I've never ever known you not to want dessert?" The twins' freeze in mid scoot "We are having dessert?" Stefan "Yes, but you have to finish your dinner. Uncle D and Uncle Enzo made delicious pasta and chicken, we don't want to hurt their feelings by not eating." Both the girls turn towards the table in their chairs and shake their heads, they look at their uncles "Dinner tastes really really good." Enzo is still not used to the twin's affectionate stares, he actually blushes when says "Thank you" Damon in a more gruff voice "You munchkins, need to eat until your full. All the magic full we are going to have will make you hungry if you don't start with a full tummy." Lizzie looked at Uncle D with big bright eyes, she took her fork and put a fork full of food in her mouth. He gave her one of his signature sexy irresistible Damon eye looks with a wink, which she promptly tried to return blinking both eyes back at him. Everyone at the table got a wonderful chuckle from the exchange, Damon was choking on his food from Josie's response.

As dinner continue so did the conversation regarding tonight ritual. Caroline asks, "Did Ric find out anything else about the mo…. Books" Not wanting to remind Lizzie of the attack, "we found upstairs? The twins had developed faster than any children their own age in many ways, and in other ways they were exactly where they should be, this however was one of those ways they were smarter than Caroline wanted them to be. Lizzie reminds Caroline, "Mommy, Daddy didn't take books to the armdery." she was still getting that word right "He took the monster's head" as she took another bite of pasta. Caroline shakes her head, "Yes, Lizzie you are right. I have no idea, why I even try. Their childhood is going to be ruined." Stefan put his arm around Caroline, "From where I'm sitting, it looks like they have an amazing childhood, surrounded by a family that will do anything to protect them, including telling them the truth for their protection." Caroline looked around, everyone at the table nodded their head, if they continue to chat like it isn't a big deal, the girl would not think it was a big deal, just another day in the lives of Team Salvatore, Caroline shrugged her shoulders and continued, "Has Ric learned anything more from the monster's head" she stared at the girls watching them continue to eat the food like the conversation was about water cooler gossip at the office. Damon smiles as he watches the girls continue to eat, "I talked to him an hour ago, nothing really new, but a little bit of a theory. Ric found valves from the suction cups leading down the neck to what he assumes is a holding tank of sorts. Since the attacks were on Elena and Bonnie, Stef and I have been thinking about that. Bon, you were the last Bennett witch in 24 years, there hasn't been another born. When it comes to powerful magic, outside of New Orleans, the Bennett line is it, and you're the last one. Until now, little witch inside of you might be giving off a powerful magical aura. A little miss 'I can play with my child's magic over here' has been using our child's magic as a come find me beacon. The theory is these guys go around siphoning magic, a specific type of magic, young, immature magic. Once we get to the temple, Stef and I will summon our bloodline for a couple of 411s, the guess is this magic can be turned, light or dark." Stefan takes over, "Demetrius told us, our destiny has always been to protect the balance between light and dark. If dark is trying to tip the scale, our job may have a start date." Damon leaned back, put his arm on the back of Lizzie's chair and nodded. Elena getting to the conversation, "How do you know that these things can siphon or take the magic from our kids?" Damon looks at Elena with a 'that is my girl' look that makes her get all tingly inside'. Damon impressed, "My dear, you are always right with the lesson plan, we want Ric here before we start talking about this part." Caroline questions, "Ric is coming?" Stefan answers, "When Damon called he asked Ric to head over, we need both of you to hear and think about a proposal that Damon and I would like to make regarding the twins."


	19. Chapter 19 - The Growing Brothers Coven

Chapter 19 – The Growing the Brothers Coven

On cue, Ric walks in the door, "Ok, what's so important that I left my research." The twins leave their chairs, "Daddy, are you going swimming with us tonight?" Ric looks up at Damon with an eyebrow arched, "Well, we will have to see what Uncle D and Zio need to talk to me about." Damon gets up and pours a bourbon, then hands it to Ric, "Here you go, Ric." Ric takes it and looks at Caroline, who smiles back with a comforting 'it's going to be ok' look in her eyes. Ric takes a swig of the brown nerve dampener, "Oh great, this isn't the start I was hoping for." Ric took a side chair from the living room area, slipped it between Caroline and Josie. He took Caroline's fork and started eating off of her and Josie's plate, Stefan looked a little annoyed, not enough to get up and get Ric his own plate. Even though Caroline was his wife, she was the mother of Ric's children, they were family just as much as Stefan was part of Ric's children's lives. Stefan took a deep breath, thought to himself, his amazing 'functioning dysfunctional' family as he put his fork down on his plate and pushed it to Caroline so she could have something to eat as they watched Ric nervously consuming everything on her plate.

Damon started the conversation "We should get this started. Since the theory is these creatures are after _our_ (he put the emphasis on our) kids' magic, it started Stef and I thinking about the Gemini Coven, specifically Lizzie and Josie being the only members of the Gemini Coven." Stefan took over, "I know that Caroline spends every spare minute researching the Gemini and other Covens, trying to find a way so the girls will not have to merge when they turn 22." Caroline sits up in her chair, Ric puts the fork down. Damon continues, "For months, the twins have been siphoning from Stef and I, we have been getting to know the Gemini coven bindings while they have been using our magic. We have come up with a few interesting theories, as the last 2 Gemini, Josie and Lizzie are siphon witches, even after a merge, the winner will still be a siphon witch, she will still require a source to siphon. The Gemini magic is at the brink of extinction without having another Gemini to mate with." Caroline is keeping up with the conversation, "There is no other Gemini, especially a non-direct relative." She was thinking of Kai in the prison world. Stefan answers, "No, there isn't. As High Priests of Gaian Nature's Magic, we can bring any, actually, all covens back into Nature's original coven. Basically, we can absorb the Gemini coven into the element's magic. The girls would become part of our coven, their magic would inherit the abilities of our coven, meaning as siphon witches, they would be able to siphon from the elements." Damon looks directly at Ric, "The Gemini bloodline would be disconnected, Lizzie and Josie would not be connected to their ancestry line when they get older. They would not be able to summon Jo ever. They would no longer be Gemini Twins. They also wouldn't have to merge." Caroline and Ric look at each other. Stefan continues "Gemini Coven decrees that the leader can merge the coven with another coven for the survival of the coven. Since the girls are too young to make that decision, you and Caroline can make that decision by proxy for them. Magically, Ric, your blood is the key to 'sealing the deal' as it were."

Elena speaks up, "This is a decision I do not envy either of you. I know that both of you are thinking of Jo right now, and Jo's connection to Lizzie and Josie. I remember the day that Jo found out she was having twins. When she told me, she was excited, and she was scared to death. It was the most scared I had ever seen her. She told me "one day they will be forced to merge, the magic will force them to turn on each other. Jo looked in my eyes and said how am I supposed to tell them that one day they are going to have to kill their best friend. Ric, I know you, and Caroline, you both will keep Jo alive every day for the twins, all of us will. Each of us, have special memories and love Jo, the girls will never wonder how much she loved them and fought to protect them. Jo spent most of her life away from the Gemini Coven, protecting herself. I know she wouldn't hesitate to protect her girls." Caroline with tears in her eyes, "Elena's right, Jo would do anything to keep the girls from merging, anything."

Ric looks at his girls, he looks at Damon "They would be part of your coven, protected by your magic? And able to use your elements, how does that work? Kai? What about Kai's prison?" Damon nodded, "First, Kai isn't going anywhere, Bonnie's blood opened and closed Kai's prison, without it, Kai isn't going anywhere. Also, Kai came from Hell, the Gemini magic that was used to make the prison world stay frozen forever because the coven isn't there to remove it, open it or make new. Kai is a NON-issue. Regardless of what you decide to do about the Gemini Coven, we will always protect the girls, they are Team Salvatore." Damon put his hand on Lizzie's head, she smiled when she looked up at him, Damon continued, "If the Gemini Coven was absorbed back into the Gaian Magical Community aka where it actually splintered off from over 2,000 years ago, the girls would basically be like Stef and I, they would have sibling elements, my best guess is Josie would be able to channel earth & wind and Lizmister would have fire & water."

Ric sat quietly looking at his children, he pondered their futures, he knew Elena was right, his wife Jo would want him to do anything, including remove any future access to the Gemini bloodline, take away their ability to ever conjure Jo, their biological mother. He looked at Caroline, she was amazing, she wasn't Jo, she wasn't worse than Jo, she wasn't better than Jo. Caroline was an amazing mother, just like Sheriff Liz Forbes, Ric knew, if Jo couldn't be the one to raise her daughters, she would have chosen Caroline, maybe in the chaos of the wedding she did.

Ric leaned over and kissed Caroline on the forehead, "You are the most amazing mother. Our girls are the most important priority in your life, you prove that every day. I never doubt that. Your heart is so big, you have always had room for me and for Jo." Ric paused, he looks at Elena, "Did you know she bakes a birthday cake for Jo every year, she helps the girls write notes to Jo. We put them in those Japanese Lanterns, light them so they float up to Jo. Just so the girls can wish her a Happy Birthday." Caroline tears up, "The girls have to know who Jo is, she is a part of them. She loved them so much, I have to do right by her." Ric looks into the eyes of the woman he hasn't quite shaken completely, no wonder he fell in love with her, how could he not. Ric looks into Caroline's eyes, the eyes of his daughters' mother, he sees the hope, the hope that her children will not ever be magically be pitted against one another. The Gemini merge was the pink elephant that Caroline feared and spent every moment she could researching, she tried not to concern him, she didn't realize he could still feel her presence when she whooshed in and out of the room while he was sleeping at the Armory. Her eyes were filled with hope, the answer to the Gemini merge, was not being Gemini, she knew it, and so did he.

Ric turns to Stefan, "Do it! Take the girls into your coven, make them safe. Stefan, teach them to control their powers. They have to be protected. This is something we have NO reference materials on. We have so little on the Gemini as it was. With your Gaian Nature's Coven being the Original Source or Coven of all magic, you can protect them. They are my life, Damon, my life." Damon put his hand on Elena's baby bump and looked at Ric with a nod of knowing exactly what he meant. Josie looks up at Ric, "Daddy does this mean we are going to be Team Salvatore?" Stefan answers her, "Josie, your Dad and Mom have been Team Salvatore since way before you were born, so my little siphon partner, you were born Team Salvatore." Josie smiles from ear to ear. Lizzie pipes in, "I told you so. You never listen to me Joes" Caroline takes control before the bickering war gets out of hand, "Ok girls if you are finished eating, we should wash up and get ready for the pond." The girls jump out of the seats and run for the stairs with Caroline following.

Elena gets up and walks over to Ric, she puts her arms around his shoulders from behind, "Jo is here with us, I know she supports your decision. It is the right thing to do." Ric pats her hands crossed over his heart, "I love you too. It is hard, part of me held out this crazy hope that one day they would be able to summon her and I would be able to see her again. She really is gone forever." Elena patted his heart again, "She has never left any of us, Ric, never ever." Elena stood up, "I'm going to head upstairs myself to get ready." Bonnie tries to stands up, "I better head up myself, not sure I can find my feet with this big belly." Enzo objects, "That so called big belly is my daughter, so careful how you talk about that amazingly baby belly, he gets up and extends a hand to help her stand. Enzo and Bonnie head up the stairs with Enzo's arm wrapped around Bonnie snuggling her close to him.

The three men, Ric, Damon and Stefan are left at the table, Ric breaks the silence, "Caroline is gone now. Shoot straight! What are the chances this beast got into Lizzie?" Stefan answers, "Honestly, we aren't sure, we have talked to Demetrius in detail. He has never heard of this specific creature. He told us of other types of succubus creatures, how they work and how to kill them. He gave us some insight as to how they are able to roam the earth relatively undetected. What he didn't know was, what triggers them, what makes them active, or what is their prey? This one is a bit different from the creatures he described." Damon leans in, "What we don't know is who this succubus is sucking for? That is our real question. It came after Lizzie, Elena and Bon, making them, Team Salvatore's Public Enemy #1. We aren't going to give it the chance to go after Josie or any of them again." Stefan nods his head yes.

Stefan and Damon head to the temple early to start preparing for the ritual, they leave Ric with the daunting task of getting everyone to the pond. Elena is the first one downstairs, she is wearing the plush robe, she found in the bedroom closet, with 2 towels in her hand, "Where's Damon?", she asks. Ric looks up and answers, "He and Stefan, headed over to the temple to get everything prepped and ready to go. As soon as everyone is ready we can head over too." They hear stomping little feet down the hallway to the stairs, Lizzie comes running down the stairs first in a bright rainbow suit with butterfly wings on her back, her hair is in pigtails, "Daddy, I'm a rainbow fairy. Do you like my new bathing suit?" Ric shook his head with the same enthusiasm he had for the 70-year-old Bourbon Damon gave him on his birthday last year. Elena was impressed. Josie was slower, more cautious down the stairs, she was wearing a white suit with a bathing cap with a unicorn horn coming from the top, and there was no doubt what magical creature she was. Bonnie and Enzo were next, "Enzo enough already, it is 100 degrees out, I'm not going to need another blanket. I can make fire with my mind if I need to." Bonnie rolls her eyes when she sees Elena and mouths the word MEN. Elena smiles. Caroline is the last down the stairs with her arms full of towels and blowup rings, a big tote bag over her shoulder. "OH shit, we forgot the dessert." Ric grins remembering Caroline sweet tooth during her pregnancy with the twins, "Nope, Stefan already packed it and everything we need for eating and serving. All we need to do is get the girls to the pond."

The sight of the pond at night was truly spectacular. The walking path to the Temple was lit by torches, from the end of the front porch you could see the glowing flames it was easy to follow. Stefan had lit all the torches and fire bowls in the temple area. Damon had bloomed hundreds of flowers and plants to create the protection spell they needed for the ritual, it smelled amazing. Damon had the oils ready for the twins, he expressed more for Elena and Bonnie. Stefan was just finishing with the water in the pond when he heard the first sounds of the twins' laughter. The brothers both walked to the end of the edge of the temple entrance and watched as their family approaches.

Lizzie sees Stefan and starts running to him "Zio… Zio, I get the most magic, I was the one that had the ouchie. Tell Josie, she doesn't believe me', as she jumps into his arms. Stefan looks at Damon, who laughs "I'm not touching that one. I'm doing it, one kid, at a time, for this very reason." Josie isn't far behind, "Izzie, it doesn't work that way, we get the same magic, Mommy told me so." as she reaching Stefan, he kneels down and puts Josie into his other arm, "This magic that Uncle D and I are going to be using is to protect both of you equally, it isn't like the magic that we play with. Think of it this way, you know how Daddy goes to the Armory to work and some days, you can't visit because he is working with dangerous equipment and some days you can visit." He waits for the girls to acknowledge with a nod, "During the days that you are visiting Daddy, he gets to show you lots are really neat things, and some of those things you get to play with." Stefan looks into each of the girl's eyes one at a time, then continues, "Think of this magic as Uncle D and I like our work time, and our work is actually working on you. We had to work at making magic to protect both of you. Tonight we are going to use the magic with so that it can be with you forever and ever always protecting you. Josie interrupted, "Cause we get to be Nature's witches like you now, not Gemini by ourselves." Damon takes Lizzie from Stefan, "That's right, you will have elements that you can siphon from to protect the family and yourself. Zio and I will teach you how to use them. But first, we have to do our big giant spell to make you part of our coven. Okie Dokie?" The twins nod their head yes.

Elena watches Lizzie in Damon's arms, she smiles, Elena knowing that Damon loves both the twins equally, sees Lizzie has him wrapped just a bit tighter around her finger than Josie, she knows how to pull as his heartstrings just a little bit more. She can't help smile at all the times that Damon retells a story about Lizzie doing or saying something that amused him or frustrated him, Damon had yet to figure out that he and Lizzie's personalities are closer matched, just like Josie and Stefan are more in sync. Elena can see how the siblings' chemistry and dynamics work within the pairs so clearly, it is no wonder why each twin has each brother wrapped around their little fingers.

Damon puts Lizzie down, when Elena arrives, walked over and put his arms around her, he said in a hushed voice, "I hope you like the color, I knew I'd like it when I get to take it off you." Caroline lightly hit him as she walked by "Ewwww .. Gross." Bonnie aims her comments towards her always inappropriate BFF, "I take it wasn't a PG rating. Damon, there are children present." Damon acting innocent, "What, I whispered, only the adults have vamp hearing, who shouldn't be eavesdropping can possible hear an intimate conversation between husband and wife." Damon looked around at everyone, "Hello, I'm sensitive to age-appropriate behavior." Everyone turned and stared at him with a glaring look, including Elena. Damon spoke in a moderate tone, "Most of the time." Everyone definitely laughed out loud to that statement.

Stefan put Josie down, who took off to chase Lizzie around the temple for a twin's game of tag. Stefan went over to join Caroline, "Damon and I create a meadow area just outside the temple perimeter. It is a clear view, you will be able to see everything. There is a lot of magic that is going to be flowing through the temple. We really aren't sure what effect it might have on you or Enzo, or even on Ric. This is the safest area for the 3 of you. I promise the twins are perfectly safe inside the temple, they are witches, and if these sucu creatures have marked them. Inside the temple perimeter is the safest place for them." Stefan sees the worry on his wife's face, "Care, I promise, I will keep our family safe, all of them." He wraps her in his arms, vampire or not she still needed him to protect her heart.

Damon is touring the grounds looking for Ric, he stops outside the temple edge, as he is walking to him, he recognizes the large leather duffle bag that Ric is unpacking, "I haven't seen that much of an arsenal since you were out to kill me, your first vampire target." Ric didn't turn around, "Yeah, I never thought I would need to dig it out of mothballs again. After I realized you weren't my enemy, you and Stefan became the real weapons, all I ever needed was distractions, a few vervain grenades here and there and maybe a stake for backup. All this stuff just stayed deep in the closet. I heard everything you said last night. I find myself in a familiar situation, one that I can do something about. You and Stefan protect my daughters! And I, my friend, I will protect you!" Damon slapped Ric on the shoulder, "Buddy. You got yourself a deal." as Damon turned to head back to the pond, Ric rolled out flash grenades, double-barrel shotguns, electrical charges, animal traps, an arsenal to protect his loved ones.

Damon and Stefan called all the ladies over. Stefan and Damon squat down to be eye level with the twins, the brothers want to make sure they aren't scared and understand what is going to happen tonight. Damon started "Tonight's ritual has some very special parts to it. Zio and I are going to need your help." The twins shake their heads up and down, ponytails are wiggling with wild abandonment. Stefan "You know how after you take a bath, you have to put lotion on to make sure your skin doesn't get itchy." The girls again shake their heads up and down in agreement. "This time Uncle D and I are going to put this special oil on you before we get into the pond. This oil is going to help the magic stay inside your skin." Josie gets concerned, "Zio is it going to hurt." Elena decided to answer, "Not at all, Josie, Uncle D has had to put it on me many times. It feels so soft and makes my skin so wonderful." Elena leans down just a little to whisper, "It tickles just a bit when he rubs it on too fast." Damon looks at Elena with his signature Damon bedroom eyes, she is so glad it is dark enough no one can see her cheeks blush 'damn that man for still being able to do that to her'. Lizzie said with confidence, "I'm not scared of a little bit of oil." as she scoots closer to Damon. Damon grinned, "Of course not, after that, Zio and I are going to be making noise from our elements, that means the wind is going to blow, the water is going to be bubbling with big huge bubbles and the fires are going be very high." Damon was trying very hard to use words that the twins would understand and not scare them at the same time. He feels Lizzie back into his chest even more, "During all this, it is important that you two girls understand where you have to stand." Lizzie turned her body so that she could look right into his eyes, Josie was staring at his as well, he had their complete attention now. "You both are going to be standing in the middle of Zio and I, you have to be very close to us, and our hands have to be touching each other like this." Stefan and Damon flattened their palms with fingers to wrists on top of one another and the girls are inside the circle that is created. "And you two are going be inside the circle just like you are now. Ready for your helping part?" Ponytails start wiggling. "Your hands have to lay in the middle of our hands like this." Damon takes one of each of their hands, he intertwines their fingers together in the ancient pledge of loyalty puts them between his and Stefan's palm. "Now that is what you have to do during the whole ritual. All four of our hands have to touch during the entire time. Do you think you can that and siphon our magic the entire time?" Lizzie's voice is unsure, "You aren't lying on the grass, I don't want to hurt you, remember we can't siphon you if you aren't laying on the grass, Uncle D." Damon hugs Lizzie looks at Stefan and Josie, "You are right, Baby Girl, our temple is a special place where I have special powers. That means you can siphon as much as you want, without any worries of hurting either of us, you can't hurt me or Zio here, it's our magic home where our magic comes from. After today, my sweet little witches, the temple will be your magic home too. You will never have to worry about hurting anyone when you want to use magic, this will be your magical safe place."

Any doubts Damon had about absorbing the Gemini Coven were gone, it wasn't about Jo any more, it was about keeping Lizzie and Josie loved and secure. Something Kai said in the 1994 prison world came to mind 'everyone treated me as an outcast, I wasn't safe in my own coven'. Kai was a siphon, his own coven didn't understand what a gift his magic was. Damon was determined that his nieces would not turn out like Kai, they would be loved and understand how amazing their gift is.

Caroline heard everything that Damon had explained to her daughters, the tears just flowed down her cheeks. At that moment, she knew they had made the right decision. Ric caught her attention, "Is everything ok?" Caroline wiped her eyes, "Yes, your friend is driving me nuts. Sometimes he says things that make me want to kill him. Then he does things that…Well, I want to just squeeze him forever. Damon is going to protect our girls. They are going to be safe, not just from whatever threat we face right now, but forever, Ric, forever. Our girls are going to be loved and happy being siphon witches. He is going to make sure of it. I didn't get it until right now. Vampire Damon was happy as a vampire, he was a psychotic asshole, but he was a happy psychotic asshole vampire. He was at peace with being a vampire, he could turn his bloodlust on or off, he was in control, he understood it. He was just talking to the girls, he understands their need to siphon, he is making it safe and secure for them to be siphon witches. They are going to grow up understanding their powers, they are going to be able to control them, and their powers aren't going to control them. Damn him!" Ric smiled and drew her into his arms, "I know… I know. No matter what he did in the past, he is going to worm his way into your heart until you forget that you are supposed to hate him. You are going to have to accept it, Damon Salvatore is impossible not to love. He makes like him, forgive him, trust him, have faith in him." Caroline looks up at him, "I already did, years ago. I just paused for a minute to realize what a difference our lives are in 7 years. It makes you realize how much we have to protect." Ric releases her, "Speaking of that." Ric reaches into his pocket and opens his palm, "A gift from our local sheriff, for those of us without supernatural hearing. We are going to need to protect the surrounding area. Matt and Jeremy have the roads in and out of here covered. We have perimeter duty." Caroline picks up the soft earbud and puts it into her ear, "What is the range on it?" Ric answers, "It's a real high tech one. Matt got it from contacts at the FBI, 3 miles without a cell connection, with cell, he's got these set up, so you can say hi."

Matt responds, "Yes, Caroline, I can hear you. Let us know if you need back up. Jeremy and I are 2 minutes out." Caroline deepens her voice, "10-4" Ric gives out a hardy laugh, "Ok, Care, I'm going to take a look around the southwest side. When Enzo gets here, ask him to cover the northeast. We can meet and backtrack each other." Caroline glares at him with a murderous look, "Mr. Salzman, what exactly am I, chop liver? Give me one of those fancy weapons of yours, I'll take the northeast. Enzo can backtrack both of us. We can have a constant perimeter going. I'm their mother and a vampire. I don't sit on the sidelines, Ric." Ric throws her a crossbow and a leather shoulder belt with flash grenades and few other gadgets, "Your right, no sidelines. Aim for the head only if you come across this doggie things." Caroline smiles, "10-4" as she straps the shoulder belt on and tightens the crossbow into her shoulder. They both head off in opposite directions.

Back at the temple pond, Stefan had the twin on top of the same rose quartz altar that Elena had been on. He was telling them about his powers and how he controlled. Stefan wanted to show the girls so they would not be scared or startled during the ritual, "Remember how Uncle D told you about the noise my fire makes? Ok, get ready here comes the noise." He reaches towards the fire bowl closest to the altar, making the flame erupt, extinguish, then erupt again. The girls start to giggle, Josie with pure amusement in her voice, "Zio, do it again, please?" He was hoping to get them used to the sounds, heat and light before the ritual, he didn't realize that the flames were going to be an amusing distraction. Stefan decided he would try a new approach.

The sky lit up in flames that looked like giraffes, an elephant, rabbits, ice cream cones and a race car. The twins started laughing, Josie asked for a Princess castle. Stefan wasn't too sure about what a Princess castle looked like, but he took a shot at it, apparently, Lizzie completely disagreed, she put her hand on his shoulder and siphoned, she waved her pointed finger at the flames, did a few circles and announced that is what a Princess Castle looked like. Stefan was impressed, he suggested a horse and carriage to go with it, so he waved his finger across the front of the flaming princess castle strolled a horse and carriage. Lizzie was laughing and adding a Hello Kitty and My Little Pony to the scene.

Josie wanted to play too, she put her hand on Stefan's shoulder and started to siphon. She waved her hand to the side of the princess castle, and nothing happened, she waved her hand more fiercely, and nothing happened. Damon and Stefan looked at one another, they knew what the cause was.

Damon immediately went over to Josie, took her little hand and put it over his heart, "I have a surprise for you. Now close your eyes, little one, you have to relax and take a deep breath. Can you feel my heartbeat?" He waited for her to nod before continuing, "Good, now think about that heartbeat, feel that heartbeat in your fingers. That heartbeat is where my magic comes from. When you feel the magic, start to siphon it. Then, I want you to open your eyes." Josie closed her eyes, she was quiet, she didn't understand, she started to squirming, Damon held her tighter in his arms and put his hand over her hand on his chest. All of a sudden, Josie froze, she felt his heartbeat in her fingers, then in her hands, it travelled to her arms, all the way to her own heart.

She opened her eyes, all around the temple were flowers and pine cones flying in the breeze, the trees had flowers that opening and vines were climbing up the trees and rocks with flowers opening, "Am I doing that?" Damon released her, "Yes, Baby, with your heart, with your beautiful heart." She throws her arms around Damon's neck, "I love you, Uncle D." Damon melted. Lizzie was always the one that he bonded with, she was outgoing and sassy, most like him in ways, Josie was reserved and empathetic, she reminded him so much of Stefan as a young boy. Josie tended to keep to Lizzie and Caroline, Damon never minded, he loved her just the same, he just figured, she had her preference and left it at that. Right now with Josie's little arms wrapped around him, Damon was a big pile of mush, "I love you so much, my little witch, you are so amazing." She loosens her grip to look straight into his eyes, she smiles at Damon and tucks her head back into his neck. She whispers, "Auntie E says you don't want people to know you have a big, softy, mushy, heart. I promise not to tell anybody. Cross my heart, pinky swear." Damon couldn't handle much more, he kisses Josie's forehead and hands her over to Stefan, "Ok you little munchkins, Stef, you got these Twitches? I'm going to see where preggos are." Stefan takes Josie into his arms and cradles her, he smiles at Damon as he is walking away, knows his brother, too much real emotion still gets to him, he is better, Damon is still working on processing in. Stefan smiles, at least he isn't ripping people's throats out or having a Tri Delta blood party.

Bonnie and Elena are sitting talking as Caroline and Ric come from the first lap of perimeter duty. Caroline sits down with them as Ric continues setting up more defences on the edge of the Temple. Bonnie watches Ric, "Is it my imagination or is Ric actually having fun?" Caroline looks towards Ric, "No, he is, he will not admit it, I know he was on the phone with Jeremy and Matt for hours last night and again this morning talking strategy and planning of weaponry. I know he misses it, the danger and adventurous lifestyle we lived. I also know he never wants the girls to live in fear as Jo did. I not sure we can do anything about that now. They are supernaturally born witches, it is in their DNA, period. We can't hide it, we can't hide them from it. Clearly, we can't keep it, whatever it is, from touching them. Protecting them means accepting that supernatural is going to be part of their daily lives. Teaching them to be the best damn siphon witches they can be. Damon was right. Damn him." Elena confesses "I'm not thrilled that Jeremy is one of the 5, there is no denying he is happy. He is doing well and his hunter skills are developing at a faster rate out on the road then they did here in Mystic Falls. He thinks it has to do with suppressing them being around us, vampires that he loves. He says the byproduct of being able to love a vampire sister and understands there are vampires that are good. He has an unnatural ability to recognize a good vampire. He says there are more out there then we think. He keeps telling me it makes his job easier and I don't have to worry about him so much." Damon joins in the conversation, "Great next Little Gilbert will start a commune for all the pixie vampires." Elena responds in smartass kind, "He never killed you. I'm thankful that he has a hunter dimmer switch." Bonnie laughed at that one. Damon even chuckled at that statement, "ok, ok, Stef is with the twins. I have been sent to get the two preggos" Bonnie and Elena both frown at him, he knows they both hate that nickname.

The chairs are a little lower to the ground than the two ladies expected, the rounded baby bumps in their midsection have started to affect the way they do everything, getting out of these lounge chairs wasn't going to be graceful. Elena strains, "Damn it, 3 months left of this." Bonnie groans in agreement. Damon extends both his hands to them, "OK ladies on the count of 3, just remember, I don't have vampire strength anymore." His pregnant wife and best friend looked up at him with a glare that would have burst the blood vessels in his brain had he been a vampire. Damon takes a dramatic loud deep breath, "1…. 2…. 3, Up you go.." and follows up with a dramatic heave he gently pulled Elena and Bonnie into the side of his body, holding them tight until he was sure they were steady in their standing position. Elena kissed his cheek, "If I didn't know better, I would be a bit upset." Damon whispers in her ear, "Yes, but you know better." He lets go for a moment, turns his body, and extends each of his bent elbows, "Ladies, may I escort you to the Ball?" Caroline laughs at all of them as they head to the temple pond.

As they walk down the pathway, Bonnie asks Damon, "You and Stefan really think that the babies are endangered?" Damon answers honestly, "We think that you might be on the radar if that exists." Damon pauses "Bon, we honestly don't know, we aren't willing to take the chance. This cleansing ritual will make sure nothing had a chance to stick to the babies' magic." Damon felt Bonnie tremble, he let her arm go and wrapped his arm around her waist "Nothing is going to happen to BonBon jr. Nothing!" The way Damon made it as a statement, made Bonnie relax, she laid her head on his shoulder as they walked. Elena heard the entire exchange, she took her left hand and rubbed her husband's upper arm, she knew he had put Bonnie's fears to rest for now.

Stefan has the twins sitting on the altar, Josie laughing, "Zio, that tickles too much, my toes are covered, no more on my toes." Stefan putting more oil on her feet, "I have to every single toe, and this little toe, and this little toe, and this big toe." Josie laughing and wiggling, "No Zio... No more... No more" Damon turns his attentions to the twins, "What's all this ruckus about?" Lizzie laughs, "Zio is trying to tickle us to death? Uncle D, you didn't tell the truth. You said it only tickled a little. The oil tickles 5000." Damon grabs her, "Really, 5000, that much. Well, now it is my turn to put it on you. Let's see if it tickles another 5000 when I put it on." Lizzie cries and wiggles, "NO... No more. I have no more laughs inside me. Zio made them all come out." Damon smiles, "I bet I can find just a few more" He dips his hands in the oil bowl and starts with her shoulders, lifting up her arms and puts his thumb on the sensitive part of her armpit and sends her into a laughing fit, "Opps, looks like I found a hidden laughing place." Josie starts laughing because Lizzie is. The brothers finished covering the twins with the consecrated oils, the twins put their arms around them, "Are we going to go swimming now?" Stefan smiles, "Almost, we have to put oil on Aunt BeeBee and Auntie E, can you stay with us on the altar, you can tell them what to expect, that way they will not be scared." Both the girls nod in agreement. Stefan motions to the ladies, "Bon, Lena, we are ready for you two."

Damon's mouth drops open as he watches Elena open her robe. She is wearing a blood-red black pinstripes bikini, it isn't exactly overly revealing, but my God, did she have to pick something so sexy to wear, was his only thought. He watched her walk to him, time was in slow motion, each step she took was a beacon to his groin. He couldn't think about anything but having her body connected to his, his skin touching her skin, his lips on her lips. She looked into his eyes, Elena asked, "Damon, where should I stand?" He put his hand on her back, he felt electricity go through his body, he leaned down and smelt her skin, his blood was heating. Damon leaned into her, "You look amazing, I have no idea how I'm going to get through this." Elena realized she needed to do something fast, "Damon, Peanut is hungry." Damon looked down at her baby bump, it wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but it would ease up the direction Damon was going in. He lifted her on to the altar and dipped his hands into the bowl of oils. He rubbed the oils onto her baby bump with gentle and almost erotic motions with sending magic to his child the feeling of fatherhood and magic-filled Damon completely. All the while a gentle breeze began swirling around the pond.

Stefan feels the wind current change, he looks over at Damon and knew he needed to make a change, "Okie Dokie Bro, let me take over. Bonnie needs some BFF time. I'll finish my sis." Damon looked at Stefan "What are you talking about?" Stefan's voice was almost comical, "Take a look around, if you don't calm down, you are going to pollinate all of Virginia." Damon and Elena look up and take in all of the surrounding areas, every tree and bush within eyesight is growing or blooming with flowering vines. Stefan added a bit of sarcasm, "You, my brother are having an overactive fertility moment and our brother bond is a little too bonding. If you know what I mean." Damon looks at Elena, then his crotch, then his brother, who nods his head, "Gotcha!" Damon walks around the back of the temple the sound of leaves wrestling and wind blowing gets the notice of everyone. Josie confused, "What's Uncle D doing?" Stefan laughs "Taking a cold shower." The twins stared at Stefan with a very confused look on their faces. Damon walks back and stands in front of Bonnie who stares at him with one eyebrow up, "Are you ok now?" Damon glares at her, "Don't go there. Something about the sight of Elena, pregnant the moonlight and the magic, I don't know. It was too much, I guess. Bon, it was so powerful." He took Bonnie in his arm and lifted her onto the Altar. Bonnie thoughtfully, "You were channelling Gaia." Damon dipped his hands into the oil, went down to his knees, took Bonnie's feet into his hands and started to massage, "Is this ok, not too hard?" Bonnie with a blissful tone in her voice, "Never ask a pregnant woman if massaging her feet is ok, always assume it is all good." As she puts her head back, breathing a little deeper. Damon let his mind wander as his hands did what felt natural, talking to Bonnie was as natural as breathing nowadays, "Channeling an ancestor would explain some of it, but Gaia is a mythical Greek god, not a direct ancestor as it were." Damon had made it up to her thigh, Bonnie put her hand on his shoulder, to steady herself, "What if Gaia isn't as mythical as you think. What if she is trying to let you know you have her power to tap into. Or that these creatures are from a time or place that we think of as a myth." Stefan agrees as he is oiling Elena's back, "That is worth considering, we should talk to Ric about this. How many mythical creatures have the same features as our succu buddy?" Elena is playing thumb wars with Josie sitting next to her, "This is just a thought if we are going to take myths as being real for just a minute. Let's play the 'what if game'. If Gaia is real, she would be a goddess for the good side, Damon and Stefan would be her heirs and the champions of good that have been effectively been reborn to fight for her and the story of good versus evil gets a re-boot. That would make her enemies our enemies." That statement got the brothers attention. Elena continued as Stefan massaged the oils into her skin, "We could use the same mythology studies to find out what and who were her enemies to get a better idea of what and who could be the enemies of today. We know that magic always has to have a balance, so it makes sense that if Nature's magic has re-awakened after 1,000s of years in a way that has enough power to combine or strip a coven of its magic, wouldn't the opposite of nature's magic be looking for a way to destroy Damon and Stefan?" Bonnie takes a deep breath, "After this ritual, we should talk to Ric maybe he and Dorian can find something out about …"

Stefan laughs, Bonnie miffed, "Stefan, care to share what is so funny." Stefan grinning, "You really think that my wife, your best friend isn't relaying everything we are saying to Ric right now, and has Dorian on speaker." Elena smiles imagining the exact words coming from Caroline's mouth, "She is always 3 steps ahead." Elena continues, "All the magic we have ever dealt with has had limits, Bonnie, you can make fire and conjure wind using your magic, when you channel blood you can energize your power. The twins can siphon magic from all of three of your magics. In Mythology, most of the gods and goddess have roles or specialities. Why would these things attack Lizzie? She doesn't have her own magic or role. For that matter, I'm not a witch, why would they come after me? Bonnie is a powerful Bennett witch, they would know they couldn't get to her."

Stefan not really paying attention to what his hands are doing, he is listening to every word Elena has said, he dips his hands into the oils again, and moves to her front shoulders and chest, "You might have something there. What if .." Stefan was thinking an idea through, "They might be after something that the 3 of you have, not necessarily you specifically, actually the 4 of you. Elena and Bonnie are pregnant, they have active in-vitro witches, who can't control their magic, a source of immature magic. Lizzie and Josie are siphon witches, the last of the Gemini coven." Stefan looks at Damon as they exchange a brotherly worry as to what this means to the twins and unborn babies, not exactly paying attention to his hands, he lifts Elena's arm and rubs her underarm with oil, Elena giggling "Stefan, stop, that tickles." Lizzie commiserates, "Auntie E, Zio did it 2 times on me, it is part of the ritual." Stefan lifts Elena's arm again and repeats, "Yes, part of the ritual." Elena laughs again. Damon looks over at his wife as he hears the exchange, turns his attention to Bonnie, Bonnie gives Damon her best snake eye, "NO Damon don't...Damon, NO." Damon with his classic Damon eye smirk, takes hold of Bonnie's waist, knowing she is more ticklish along her waistline, he squeezes gently with a circular motion, sending Bonnie into a laughing fit, "It is part of the ritual, I have too." He declares, as she wiggles around trying to free herself from his grasp, he eases up when a tear starts down her cheek. The twins join in the laughter too. Josie's voice is filled with laughter, "This ritual is fun." Elena and Bonnie look at each other and roll their eyes.

All four of the ladies are covered in the consecrated oils. Each of the ladies is gently helped from the altar. Stefan and Damon lead them into the Temple pond, the blazing braziers light the entire area. Stefan is the first one into the water, his hands create mini whirlpools as he walks laps around the entire pond. Damon watches with a smug look on his face that Elena notices, "What's that face for?" as she puts her arms around his waist. Damon grins, "Stef… He has changed, he is so confident as a witch. Look at him with his powers, he wasn't like this when we did the ritual with you. I'm just happy for him." Elena leans into him, "You've changed too, for the record." Damon leans away from her, "How?" Elena has a devilish grin, "You'll figure it out." Damon looks at her and knows she is up to something, "At the moment, I cannot torture the answers out of you. I can promise you that I will be doing it in the near future." He ends the statement with a raised eyebrow. Elena's skin feels the tingles of passion, "Ok, Damon, knock it off. You need to give your son a bit of magic before we get into the pond. I have a feeling being surrounded by Stefan's magic is going to put Peanut on Brother bond overload, that will make me really dizzy. So time to juice me, Baby." Damon agreed, he turned his attention to Elena's baby bump, he laid both his palms on either side, closed his eyes and felt his child search out his magic. Once Peanut found Damon's magic, he pulsed a strong current of magic into Elena for his son to anchor onto. It was hard to put into words how amazing it felt to nurture his son's magic, Damon knew fathers never got to bond with their children until they were born, Damon already knew so much about his son. He was impatient like him and loving like Elena, his favorite color was purple and he was completely in love with being a father. He felt Elena's hand on his face when he opened his eyes, he saw her big brown eyes staring into his "You know it isn't playtime, we have work to do." Damon smiles "Yes, Mom" Damon leans down close to her bump and whispers "As soon as you come out, we will have playtime every day. And there's nothing she can do to stop it. FYI, I'm the selfish one, and she knows it."

Stefan is in the middle of the pond, his skin is glowing from the iridescences that his magical energies created, he looks around to see everyone watching him. "OK, the water is perfect, girls, come on in." Lizzie and Josie are thrilled, they get a running start and jump as high as they can reach for Stefan, just missing his extended arms hands and splash, sputtering as their heads come out of the water. Stefan grabs the twins "Oppss, I gotcha." Josie says laughing, "You did that on purpose." Lizzie lets go of Stefan, she swims around, trying to splash him and Josie. Damon takes a more cautious approach with Elena and Bonnie, he had created a natural rock stairwell using the quarry rock connected to the base of the waterfall that fed the pond earlier that day, he held their hands and guided them through the stairs, making sure each mom-to-be had secure footing with each step, he wasn't taking any chancing with his precious cargo.

Once in the water, Bonnie felt wonderful, she floated around, "This is amazing." Both she and Elena were only 6 months pregnant, each of them felt like whales, every task was harder to do, they talked daily about what type of clothing they had given up on that day, yesterday she gave up putting on underwear, she smiled, Enzo didn't mind at all. She felt hands on her back underneath the water, Damon stated, "It's ok, just me… shh, relax, I've gotcha, I've got a little magic for you and my goddaughter. Close your eyes, BonBon." She trusted Damon as much as she trusted Enzo and Elena, he was her lifeline for so many years, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she relaxed and felt Sheila relax with her. She taught her daughter that Damon's magic was different but good and not to fight against it, to let it in, Stefan's magic was still a tough one. Bonnie still saw Enzo dying in front of her. She forgave Stefan, she even understood without all those events happening, she wouldn't have Sheila or Enzo, but that sight was burnt in her memory forever. Damon whispers close to her ear so that only she can hear "Bonnie, It's over, you have to let it go. I love you, Enzo is here now, Sheila is here now. Stefan loves you so much, the real Stefan, not the Cade controlled Stefan who took Enzo. You know that. Keeping that memory so vivid is going to fester, you have to really let it go, release it forever. That memory will damage you, you know that." Bonnie opened her eyes, as their eyes met, they spoke to each other without words. Damon understood her heart, the years of loneliness that she endured without Enzo, time and love was the only magic that could overpower that memory. Damon blinked, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, "I love you, Judgy" he used one of the first nicknames he ever gave her back when they first met, back when she hated him and regularly gave him brain aneurysms. It was a little reminder as to how far two people can come with a little time and a lot of love. She looked at him as a tear ran down her cheek into the pond, "I love you too, psycho vamp."

The twins were splashing around having the time of their life. Elena was chasing Josie around, while Stefan was throwing Lizzie in the air and letting her fall into the water. Damon and Stefan had talked earlier about the importance of getting the girls comfortable with the magically energized water, the longer they stayed in it the better. Stefan kept the magical current strong, each time he circled the pond he added a little bit more magic to the waters, soon the pond was glowing so bright that no one needed the torches to see each other. The twins had no idea they had been siphoning his magic for almost an hour. Even Elena could feel Peanut filling up on Stefan's magic as she floated in the waters of the pond. With her arms stretched out and her body feeling weightless, she felt amazing, light as a feather and oh so relaxed. She wondered if her son was actually sleeping, or baby drunk on Stefan's magic when she felt very familiar hands touching her back under the water, and breath on her neck. She took a deep breath and leaned into the chest that was directly behind her head. Then the words softly vibrated the water over her ears "You can't wear this bikini and expect me to perform a ritual undistracted. Seriously, Elena, what were you thinking?" as Damon kisses the side of her neck sending a shiver down her spine, directly to the place she doesn't want to be aroused at this very moment. She replies, "I was thinking, this is the only bathing suit that actually covers any part of my body since YOU knocked me up. My only other option was naked. So if you have a problem with option A, I can go with option B." Damon laughed out loud, she would never disappoint, his wife, she would give as good as she got, her last statement, went directly to his cock and she knew it. He removed his hand and took a step back, letting her fall under the water. Elena came up out of the water, glistening with her hair slicked back and her lips shining, all of a sudden Damon realized that had been a very bad idea because Elena looked beyond sexy, a complete seductress, everything about her at that moment was his Kryptonite. He took a step towards her, his hands on her both sides of her face and crushed his lips on hers.

"Geezzz, Damon, AGAIN!" the sound of Stefan bellowing broke through Damon's passionate haze. His lips released Elena who was a little slower to recover, she leaned into his chest, breathing hard and heart pounding. Damon looked around, again the vines were growing up the trees and blooming at an unnaturally fast rate. He realized, he was really had to find a way to disconnect his magic during passionate times. Elena peeked out from Damon's arm to see Bonnie smiling, thankfully the twins were completely engrossed in a game of who could splash the highest, while Stefan was just shaking his head with a smirk on his face. She looks up at Damon, "We should get the transfer done, I really would like to get back to the cottage. I think that we need to take care of a few issues that have arisen." She looks down at his swimsuit. Damon looks down too, "Shit, Woman." Damon lets go of her, turns around and walks over to the pond stairs. He walks behind the waterfall, a strong wind appears, the sounds of brrr coming from Damon, then the wind disappears, as Damon reappears, the sound of Stefan's laughter catches everyone's attention. Damon's voice is less than loving, "Shut up Brother", there are thin icicles hanging from his chest and swim shorts. Back in the pond, Damon decides it is time to get down to business, "Munchkins ready to have some fun with your Uncles' magic?" That gets Josie's and Lizzie's attention, both of them start swimming over to him, they climb into his arm, "Do you remember the way you need to put your hands when we start the ritual?" the twins nod their heads up and down with enthusiasm. Damon smiles and kisses each of them on their foreheads "We are going to practice before we start just to make sure Zio and I remember, ok?" Lizzie replies "Uncle D, you are silly, of course, you remember." Damon smiles "I know. I can't help it. I'm worried that Zio forgot, he's getting old you know." Stefan joins them, he extends his arms and motioned for Lizzie, as she climbs into them "Zio, Are you really getting old?" Stefan laughs "Not as old as Uncle D, he almost 180 years old, now that is old." Lizzie's eyes open very wide "Wowww, 180 years old. That is older than Mrs. Bailey at the Ice Cream Parlor, she was 58 last week, that is what she told the lady to get a free ice cream cone with 2 scoops. I wonder how many scoops Uncle D could get free on his birthday." Stefan laughed, he loved how simple the twins' minds processed the facts about their supernatural lives. Stefan gave Lizzie a squeeze, he was sure the twins would not turn out like their Gemini Uncle Kai, they were going to be loved and felt peace with their siphon abilities, he would make sure of it.

The brothers held each twin that matched their element, it was important to keep the twins siphoning the magic from the matching brother. Stefan looked at Bonnie and Elena "Ladies it will be a good idea for you to be as much under the water as possible, make the babies are completely covered. The magic in the water will keep them safe during the ritual. If your hands are in the water it will help too. Stay together, forming your own circle will create another power surge, an extension of sorts." Bonnie understood what Stefan was suggesting. With the twins in their arms, the brothers take their positions. Stefan squats down into the water so that Lizzie is submerged to her shoulders, she is sitting comfortably on this lap. Damon follows his lead with Josie. Damon held Josie with one arm, "Stef, do you have a solid hold on Lizzie?" Stefan tilts his head to check Lizzie's position, "Yes, if there is too much shifting, I can anchor her with my legs." He pauses and looks at Josie's position, "You can do the same with Josie. We can keep them secure during the ritual, even if we stand and lock them in our arms." Damon nods his head in agreement, he smiles down at Josie's, "Hey munchkin, you ready for all this magic stuff?" Josie looks up at him, "You and Zio are going to stay here all the time, right?" Damon takes her face in his hand, "Absolutely, you are going to be right here in my arms the entire time. And Auntie BeeBee & Auntie E are going to be right there too. Everyone is here, not to mention Mom is right over there, you know how fast she can get to her girls." He points to Caroline and Ric, "I promise you and Lizzie are going to be just fine." Damon's words get Lizzie's attention, she looks up at Stefan, "Zio, I'm not scared like Josie. I just wanted you to know that. I'm ready for all the creepy sounds and magics. I can help you protect Josie with your fire magic, right?" Stefan smiles and kisses the top of her head, "Yes, my precious. As soon as we finish this ritual, my magic will be our magic. I will teach how to siphon magic directly from the water and fire, then you can make fire castles all by yourself. When you get bigger, you and Josie will help protect the coven from bad creatures and people." Lizzie's eyes grow bigger, "When we get bigger like you and Auntie BeeBee, will we be real witches?"

Damon interrupts, "Lizzie" waiting for her to turn around and look at him when he has both of the girls' attention, he continues, "Lizzie, I don't know where you got the idea, but you need to know this right now. YOU…. ARE … A …. WITCH…. Right now… just as you are. Just like Auntie BeeBee, Zio and Me. You are a powerful amazing little siphon witch, baby girl. And today, both you and Josie are going to join our coven and become siphon witches in Nature's Coven. Don't ever think that you aren't a real witch. You, my precious niece, were born a witch from an amazing coven of witches who have a long history of keeping humans safe. The Gemini Coven is a proud coven with a history that you can be proud to honor even after you are a Nature's Coven. My little munchkin… What are you?" Lizzie smiles, "I'm a real witch." Stefan hugs her tight, "That's is very right. A very proud real witch." Both of the girls smiled, they looked at each other, it wasn't something that their young 4-year-old minds could really comprehend, it was still real, they were real. It was the way Damon had told them that made it real for them, their Uncle who they had to touch to make the magic work, had said they were witches, real witches, he used his 'it is' voice.

Stefan gets Lizzie's attention, "Lizzie, let's get ready now. Josie, remember how we have to put our hands?" Josie turns around to face Lizzie, Josie nods her head "Zoe, I won't be scared, Uncle D said I don't have to be." Stefan smiles "No, precious there is nothing to be scared about, remember my magic going to make the water very bubbly, even more than right now, they are going to be tickling your skin. You have to try very hard not to move your hands from our hands. If you have to move your feet it will be ok, just little tiny movements, like tiny fish fins moving around, but stay on our laps, ok?" The twins nodded their heads. Damon smiles, "Ok brother, let's get this party started" Damon and Stefan put their palms flat, the twins put their little hands in between, the brothers gently enclose the twins' hands as they join their palms with one another. Immediately, their magic combines, the power is strong, neither one of them had done this since they had brought back Enzo, they hadn't realized how much their magic had grown since then. Each of them had gotten to know their magic better, what their elements felt like, how they worked, how to channel the energy of each element, the brother bond and its power had become a constant and comfort, they knew it as well. The brothers looked into each other's eyes, they felt the power flow between each other, the corners of their mouth turned up, the brother bond was strong they could feel each other's thoughts so clear. Each of them was overwhelmed with the amount of power and control they felt over their magic. Together they slowly connected to the twins magic. Damon sent a slow current into Josie's hand, Josie twitched. Damon whispered "It's ok Princess, it's time for you to siphon me, as much as you can, remember to start slowly like we have been practicing. You can do this." He could feel her start to pull on the current that he left for her to follow. She was timid with her siphoning, slow and cautious. Damon thought she siphoned exactly like her personality, quietly and carefully. Her siphon was only as strong as the current that Damon had opened for her, no more, no less. Stefan went to work with his twin, "Lizzie, feel the heat, come for it, baby girl, siphon it, come find it. You can take as much as you can. Remember, the fire can't hurt you, even if you feel the warmth, it will not hurt us." Lizzie loved siphoning magic, she loved how the magic felt both coming into her body and the way it tingled when it left. She immediately felt Stefan's magic come in through her hands, it was a soft and gentle warmth that travelled from her fingertips up her arms and then throughout her body. Lizzie pulled at that current hard and fast, that the water had giant air bubble rising all around her, Stefan "Easy Lizzie, slow down just a little, just relax, let the magic surround you like a warm blanket, don't force it." He grinned as he felt her slow her siphon pull down, she relaxed her shoulders and leaned back into his chest. Stefan looked at Damon, each of them could felt that they had the twin's siphoning under control, the girls were using their magic without barriers. Damon nodded, silently telling Stefan it was time, each of the brothers used their magic and sent a spell into each twin, determine to find out if there was a darkness inside them, something that was implanted by the attack. Damon knew he had to be slow and gentle, Josie was unsure of the whole ritual, she would be scared if he overwhelmed her with his magical search. He let his search follow her siphon, gently expanding her current pathways. He was searching for darkness and showing her how much more magic she could absorb, more ways to bring magic into her being. Josie felt a calmness come over her, she leaned back into Damon's chest, she yawned. Her eyelids slowly started to fall.

Damon immediate felt when Josie fell asleep in his arms, he realized that this sweet little one had exhausted her magical energies. This was a good and bad thing, it was good because now he could freely roam her searching for any dark magical matter, collect and expel without causing her distress, it also put her at risk since she was no longer siphoning from him. Damon looked at his brother, Stefan nodded back, fully aware of everything Damon was thinking. Damon immediate felt the change in Stefan, he knew Stefan was on high alert. Damon kept searching Josie, he felt the differences between his magic and the Gemini magic, he also could feel the similarities. As he gathered all of Josie's magical essence going deep into her mind and soul, he could see images of Jo conjuring or using her magic as a young girl, he focused on that scene for a moment, Damon hadn't realized how much Josie looked like her. Other images continued to filter through his conscious mind, he realized that the Gemini magical ancestry was playing backwards in his mind, he could see each generation of the Gemini coven come into their power, each merge and going back even further, there was an image of Demetrius, Damon's own magical ancestor, that is when Damon felt it, knew it, the connection. Josie was now part of him, of Gaia's Nature Coven. All the images he had just seen, it was actually magic spells that were being absorbed, generations of magic that was being brought back into the Coven where it originally began. Damon could felt Josie's magical current as easily as he could felt Stefan's. Damon opened his eyes and looked at Stefan, know that he understood the process, he wanted Stefan to sense it too.

Stefan did sense everything that Damon and Josie had just accomplished. Stefan could felt a change, somehow the dynamic of the magical coven that he shared with only Damon had changed when it absorbed Josie, he's responsible, the thought filtered into his mind, I'm a high priest now, I'm responsible for Lizzie and Josie, and for their magic. Damon's ability to absorb Josie's Gemini ancestry was gentle and loving, Josie was nurturing and the protector of the two twins, in so many ways she reminded him of Damon before they were vampires when Stefan was a boy and Damon was his big brother who protected him at all costs. Stefan and Lizzie were on their own journey, Lizzie's magic was more aggressive and jagged, at least that was the best words he could come up with to describe what he was trying to navigate through. He understood this, she was emotion-driven, then a little volatile, Lizzie reminded him of Damon before Elena brought humanity back into both of their lives. Stefan kept diving into Lizzie's magical current following into as he did, he found it, that beacon of darkness that he and Damon were worried about. He immediately pulled power from Damon, he strengthened his current, he used his magic to surround what felt like a thorny blob of black tar.

Stefan's actions immediately caught Damon's notice, sensing that Stefan had found something. Damon had to protect Josie, he closed his connection with Josie, now that she was completely part of the brothers' coven, he could cut off her ability to siphon from him as her High Priest. She wouldn't notice, she was sleeping, peacefully leaning against his chest. The one thing he couldn't do was break the Gemini twin connection, he couldn't let go of her hands, as long as Stefan was still connected to Lizzie, Damon had to help Stefan, with a boost from the brother bond. With Josie protected, Damon concentrated on Stefan, he quickly focused a power charge of magical energy from his earth element straight into Stefan. Damon heard Stefan take a deep breath, knowing that he felt the extra power that was just received, Damon knew that Stefan would know how and what to do with that power.

Stefan felt the extra power and strength course through his veins the second Damon released it. He directed it to incase the tar blob completely, as he went in search for more. Stefan knew he couldn't remove this foreign magic until Lizzie was part of his Coven, only as a High Priest could his magic overtake this dark matter that has attached itself to Lizzie's Gemini magic. As the images floated around her magical essence, he could see her Uncle Kai, and merge between her grandfather Joshua Parker and his brother, it was a particularly brutal magical battle. Joshua and his brother the best of friends and the months leading up to the merge made them mortal enemies. It made both of them turn to dark magic to try and get an up hand on the other for the merge. In the end, Joshua won, not because he was stronger because his brother loved him more. Joshua knew his brother's love for him is why he had lived, his brother gave up, he lost the battle on purpose. Stefan watched the merge play out in the images, his thoughts sidetracked to his own guilt over his actions with Damon all those years ago, "NOOOO" was an image that came into his thoughts, it was Damon. Stefan smirked, Damon was making sure he stayed the path. Stefan shook off the thoughts of guilt and held on to the overwhelming emotion of love that was being forced into his magic by Damon. Damon was force-feeding him all his protection and brotherly love right now, Stefan knew what Damon was doing, he couldn't help but feel it too. He went back to the Gemini images and searching for more of that thorny black tar, his mission saving Lizzie.

Lizzie was siphoning with gusto from Stefan for so long that she was finally exhausted. She leaned back into Stefan's chest, her hands were still locked between Stefan and Damon's, tightly clinching Josie's. She yawned, her eyes began to close.

With both of the twins slumbering, the brothers were able to combine their magics in a way that was stronger and faster. Since the twins were completely touching the brothers, Stefan spoke softly "The girls aren't touching the ground at all, they are completely covered by water and their heads are laying on us. Can we try to cocoon them in our magic completely? Josie is assimilated to the coven, she wouldn't feel a difference from the where the magic comes from. We have inundated Lizzie better and faster coming from all 3 of us. What do you think?" Damon nodded his head. The brothers inched together so that not just their hands touched, soon their feet, shins, knees, forearms, elbows, and the girls were touching each other. Damon closed his eyes, he concentrated on the winds around him, he pulled from their essence, he felt the rock beneath his feet, the essences of mother earth feeding his core power. He could put them into Josie, straight through every pore of her skin that touches him, then into Lizzie.

Stefan channelling both of his elements at the same time, he can feel his magical energies surging, the fires were blazing throughout the temple. Stefan was experiencing something completely new with his magic, he was in complete control, this was something he had never felt like a vampire, oneness, a sense of a whole, purity with power. He had to admit, it felt great, in fact. His confidence in his ability to protect Lizzie surged, his magical power met Damon's magic with equal measure inside Lizzie together they searched for the darkness that had left its beacon inside her. It took less than 5 minutes to inundate Lizzie with their magic and find the entire dark beacon left behind after the creature attacked her. Stefan and Damon quarantined the beacon with a barrier spell. Stefan spoke first, "I don't want to expel this from her with a spell. I want to transfer the beacon into me. Maybe from there, we can transfer it into a magical containment. Damon, we know nothing about who sent it, who wants access to our kids." Damon thought about it, "We still need to convert Lizzie into our coven, she isn't safe by herself without Josie or us to protect her. Do you think we can keep the barrier up and convert her at the same time?" Stefan had newfound confidence with his magic, "I'm positive. Damon, you can feel it, you know. I'm good. I understand it. It's really mine now." Damon nodded his head "Ok, Make Lizzie ours forever. I'll be the primary on the barrier spell. Just keep the brother bond intact." Stefan agreed with a nod, he drove straight into Lizzie's Gemini magic and followed it back, he absorbed each merge as they happened, careful to keep the focus on Damon and the barrier. Image by image of Gemini coven ancestry, merge by merge through the centuries passed through Stefan consciousness, at last, the final image, a person he recognized, his ancestor, Demetrius. At that moment, all of Lizzie's magical essence became crystal clear to him, he could feel her energies, he could pull and push them as if they were his own, he could feel Josie's energies as well, they reminded him of how Damon's felt. He knew that Lizzie was now in his coven.

Damon took a deep breath, "It's done, the twins are ours. They are safe." He was speaking to Caroline, knowing that her vamp hearing was working overtime as was her Mom worrying gene. Damon looked at Stefan, "Ready, I'll focus everything on the barrier pushing it towards you, since you have a direct connect to Lizzie, you pull fast and hard while the current is still flowing." Stefan looked at Lizzie resting on his chest. Damon felt Stefan's worry, he got Stefan's attention, "It will work. Even if she wakes up, she is strong, she can handle it." Stefan hoped she would be able to sleep through this, "I'll speed up the current, she and I have played games with her siphoning harder and faster. It might not startle her." Stefan slowly begins to widen the current between them, he watched Lizzie carefully as he forced his magic stronger between them, watching as Lizzie didn't react at all to the changes. Stefan nodded to Damon, both brothers upped the current this time, together doing the push/pull dance of getting the barrier out of Lizzie and into Stefan. The brothers let the current intensity settle for a moment, their eyes focused on the little one in Stefan's arms, watching for any sign of discomfort. The next push and pull on the barrier would mean Lizzie would have more of Damon's magic in her, then Stefan's. They hoped that Lizzie would not notice the difference between Damon's current enough to wake up. Damon got Stefan attention, "Stef, let's start moving the beacon closer to you. It will be in a better position if we have to move fast if Lizzie wakes up scared." Stefan feels the heat of the barrier spell, moving towards him, he realizes that Lizzie is feeling it too. He puts another barrier spell around it, this one he adds a cooling effect, hoping that will add some comfort to Lizzie. The brothers immediately notice the twins both take a deep breath, as if they have fallen into a deeper sleep. Damon nods at Stefan, he hadn't realized that the barrier spell was causing the twins an issue, adding the second shield was going to make a big difference, Stefan made a big difference, Damon couldn't be prouder. They go back to getting the barrier closer to Stefan, the closer the barrier gets to Stefan the more Damon's magic floods Lizzie's body. Stefan feels Lizzie start to twitch, she turns her head to the other side and snuggled a little closer to Stefan's chest, as though she was in an uncomfortable position. Stefan leaned his cheek down on to her head, not breaking his handgrip with Damon, "Shhh, Baby girl, shhh" he said in hushed tones. It took just a few seconds for Lizzie settled back down. Stefan's eyes meet his brother's, they nod at one another, time is of the essence, they focus on the barrier and increase the current again.

The brothers continued the push and pull of the dark beacon toward Stefan, as it approached the main magical opening that connects Lizzie to Stefan, Damon eased on his pushing part, Stefan immediately felt the change, "Damon, is there something wrong?" Damon's frowned his eyebrows, "I'm thinking if this beacon enters your magical essence what type of damage can it do to us, the brother bond? We have these little ones to think about, they are completely attached to us now." Stefan has confidence in his voice that Damon has never heard before "Our magic is the strongest that exists right now, there hasn't been anything this strong since the Goddess Gaia. You have channelled her twice tonight, I am feeling it right now. I know this beacon is not transmitting, we have controlled it in Lizzie. Damon, we can control whatever magic that made it. That means it can't contact anything or one while inside of me." Stefan paused, "I agree, we need to get it out as soon as possible." Damon thoughts are racing, "If I create a container from hematite agate, it's magical properties will be able to contain whatever this stuff is. We'll have to bless the container, here in the temple. That will work for keeping it safe and away from the girls." Stefan agrees with the plan, he feels Lizzie starts to stir, "I think Liz is starting to wake up, let's get this stuff out of her. Now!" The brothers concentrate, they resume the push and pull of the thorny beacon towards Stefan. The mass of dark magical energy is where the brothers what it to be for the final push out of Lizzie. Stefan readies Damon, "On the count of 3, I'll open the current as wide as I can, Lizzie will wake up, she is tough. You push fast and hard. I'll keep the containment going." Damon looks around for Elena, "Len, the twins might be startled, you may need to be close by, just remember not to touch us. Not until the flames and wind die down. Ok!" Elena answers back, "I understand." Stefan starts the countdown, "1…. 2…. 3"

The winds howl into full force gales and the fire's flames blaze higher to the tops of the tree line, Damon knows that all of his magic is now inside Stefan, the brother bond is one. He looks at Stefan's face and sees a grimace, "Stef, what do you feel?" Stefan replies "Nausea, I think I know what Bonnie and Elena's morning sickness feels like. It's ok, I can handle it. Whatever this is, it doesn't like me. Damon, you feel the difference too." Damon agrees, "I do, it was dormant inside Lizzie. It feels like it is fighting to live or breath…. Survival. Stefan, it's fighting to survive. It can't survive inside you." Damon shifts his legs, Josie starts to wiggle, "Hey there my Princess witch, time to wake up, Can you wake up Lizzie for me?" Josie rubs her eyes open more, looks around, she focuses on Lizzie, "Is Lizzie ok?" Damon uses a warm tone in his voice, "She is just tired like you were. Zio and I need you girls to go play with Auntie E and Bee Bee now, ok" Josie nods her head and loosens her hands from the grip of the brothers. The second her connection is broken from Damon, Josie falls back into his chest, she had been channelling his magic for so long, when she disconnected from his energies a rush of adrenaline filled her head. Damon and Stefan looked at Josie, Damon couldn't see her eyes, Stefan could, "Josie look at me, come on, you can do it, Josie, look at me." Stefan's voice took on a harsher tone, Lizzie start to stir, her hands moving from his grasp, she lifted her head from Stefan's body, and looked at her sister, "Jos, are you ok?" she reached over to her sister. Both the girls moved towards each other, the brothers took a deep breath knowing that there was no danger. Josie smiled "I'm ok, my head was swimmy for a minute, it felt like when we spin and spin around and then stop. It felt really fun." Damon rolled his eyes, his lovely niece scared the breath out of him, and she had fun, he was going to explain to her what the definition of 'fun' was, in the very near future.

Stefan motioning to Bonnie and Elena, "Ladies, come get the twins, Damon and I have a little more work. The girls are exhausted, please, keep them under the water as much as possible." The twins swam under the brothers' arms into the waiting arms of their aunts. With the girls now safe, Damon and Stefan concentrated on their next move. Damon watched as Elena took Josie into her arms, he smiled and winked at her, "They have had a lot of magic flowing through them. Watch them, this burst of energy will not last long. Keep them in the water until Stef and I are finished. You and Bon need to stay underneath too. I need to know all of you are safe for now. It will not take much longer." Damon looked at Stefan and noticed that he was turning a bit pale, "How are you holding up?" Stefan looked toward Caroline as he responded "Care, I'm fine, the girls are safe now, you don't have to ever worry about the merge again, they aren't Gemini any longer. We will be finished soon. Just a little longer, honey." Stefan turned to Damon, "My wife has been worried about the merge since the girls took their first breath. Now, let's get this crap out of me, so I can get her daughters into her arms." Damon nodded, "Sounds like one super strong magical holding cell coming up." Damon closed his eyes, he focused on his feet and the layers of earth that lie beneath them. He went searching for what they needed.

Stefan stared at his brother for what felt like hours as the bile was rising in his stomach. This 'thing' that was living inside him was clawing at his insides trying to survive. He knew Damon was doing all he could, and only moments had passed, this 'thing' was getting stronger somehow, or he was getting weaker. Stefan was just about to close his eyes to draw from the fires when he saw the corners of Damon's mouth turn upward, then the brother bond spoke to him 'Got it'. Bubbles started to appear between them from the floor of the pond, then a gentle warmth of the quartz rock beneath their feet began to heat up. Damon opened his eyes, "Little brother, ready to get that thing out of you." Stefan looking very pale nods his head, "What's next?" Damon explains, "I'll bring the vessel up between us and form it around our hands. Once it is around us, we break half the connection, and push it out the other side together." Stefan looks at Damon, "What aren't you telling me?" Damon frowns his brows, "It's going to hurt… real BAD!" Stefan's reaction made Damon smile, "Shit! Supernatural always hurts like a motherfricker." Stefan was trying to be mindful of the little ears not too far away.

Caroline takes a deep breath as she hears Damon's words, the girls are safe, "Ric, the girls are safe. They are part of the Brothers coven now. It's over, it's finally over. They have to stay at the pond for now, Elena and Bonnie have them. Whatever was in Lizzie is now in Stefan, contain in a barrier spell. Damon is creating some sort of magical containment for it now. I'm heading over there. Enzo, cover me." Enzo responds, "Ok Gorgeous, I'm 10 seconds away." Caroline vamps towards the temple pond leaping over shrubs and jagged rocks, she catches a few colors out of the corner of her eye. Her feet skid to a stop in the dirt, "Ric, Enzo, I've got something, 500 yards straight east from the twin magnolia trees we picnicked at last summer, just before the rock formations. There's something hiding behind a group of trees from the old Lockwood Walnut grove." Caroline sped up again, going around, she caught sight of 3 more colored shapes, the glowing colors were very dark magic. She rounded the back of the small grove, with her magical sight, the aura's of her foe glowed brightly. Caroline whispered, "I count 4 of them. I'm behind 3 of them hovering in the background. They are just sitting here." Caroline crouched down and watched the 3 beasts as they stood in the shadows, every few moments, one would move its head from side to side, then another would look up to the sky. The middle creature never budged an itch always facing forward. Caroline kept scanning for the 4th creature, she hoped that Enzo or Ric had found it, it had been radio silence. She wasn't too concerned, that is how Ric operated when he was in the middle of a hunt. She stayed crouched down and silent, just watching these 3.

Damon took a deep breath, concentrating on the layer of hematite agate a few hundred feet beneath them. He feels the stone rising until his guidance, the pressure building under his feet. He also feels Stefan getting weaker, "Just a second more, Stef." As the words left his lips, up came giant heated pockets of steam followed by a long pillar of hematite agate. Damon gently formed the agate around their joined hands, careful to make sure they were sealed inside the stone. Once the stone was sealed around their hands, he got Stefan's attention, "You still with me. Come on Stefan… Look at me, open those crap greens up, let me see them." Stefan tilted his head forward and opened his eyes, "You are such a dick. How come you take such pride in it?" Damon smirks at him, "Because you can't resist my good looks, style, charm or ability to listen to Taylor Swift." Damon knew quote from an old conversation they had years ago would make Stefan perk up. Stefan barely laughs with a labored breath, "You really have to bring up that old badass shit at a time like this. I've got all sorts of evil magic of hell inside me and you have to remind me of the stupidest conversation we had in 150 years." Damon smiles knowing, Stefan was ready for the next part, "Yepp" Damon took a breath, "Ok Stef, get ready. Here I go." With all of his magical might, Damon floods Stefan's body with his magic, forcing the barrier down Stefan's arm. Stefan feels the mass moving through his body, across his chest, over his shoulder, and down his bicep, the burning hot sensation is overwhelming, he has lost control of his strength, he can't feel his limbs anymore. Damon can feel the last of Stefan's magic being pushed out of his fingertips and into the vessel, one side of the barrier is out of Stefan's body, he releases one of their connected hands and slowly pulls his hand out of the agate, sealing tightly as he slowly removes it. Once his hand is free, he grabs Stefan's arm pulling his hand free as he does the same to the agate as did with his hand.

With one side of their bodies free, Damon pulled his brother closer to him. Damon took a moment to manipulate the vessel, he knew he had one chance at this, once the barrier was completely free of Stefan, he had to trap into the vessel. Making one side longer and more narrow, he would be able to force the barrier into the deeper area of the vessel and trap it faster. The vessel was ready, Damon gets Stefan's attention again, "We are almost there. We have to do this part together. Tell me you have the strength, Stefan." Stefan opens his eyes, "Your magic is horrible, it is like eating rotten mutton. I can do anything to get it out of me. If this you finally making good on an eternity of misery, I'm over it, I want out." The last statement caught Damon's attention, he knew Stefan could handle what was about to happen, "Ok little brother, take a deep breath and hold on, it's going to get bumpy." Damon closed his eyes and focused on his end of the barrier, he concentrated all of his power on creating a full line barrier. He could feel the force trying to survive to escape, it was stabbing against the barrier of his magic. He had to add another layer, a stronger force.

Damon and Stefan didn't notice the lightning strikes or the way the quarry had come alive as Damon tapped into the power of his magic to protect his brother. Elena and Bonnie held the twins tightly. Bonnie looked at Elena, Elena could feel the power coming from Damon coursing through their child, she spoke to pull Bonnie at ease, "We are safe, Damon is adding power to their spell. Stefan is weak from whatever is in him. Damon is doing what is right."

Damon feels the final struggle, with one last magical current, he pushes the entire barrier out of Stefan's body, pulling his hand and Stefan's out of the vessel at the same time, sealing the dark beacon completely.

4 crazed beasts emerge from the shadows, Caroline jumps on one breaking its neck in less than a second. Ric aims his pump shotgun and takes down another, while Enzo has a third's head in his hand. The 4th is in a battle with Caroline, the snarls and grunts coming from the creature made Ric laugh. Enzo asks, "Should we do something?" Ric responds, "I'm going to stay out of it. She has needed to blow off some steam for months. I'd rather her take it out of an evil creature from the underworld than me." Just as the last of Ric's words left his mouth, a loud 'crack' was heard. The men looked up to see Caroline with the last creature's bodiless head hanging from her hand. Caroline threw the head on the ground, "I'm so done with this. I want to see my girls." She vamp'd off. Ric looked at Enzo with the 'I told you so' grin, "Let's make sure these things don't come back to life." They proceeded to decapitate and remove the internal suction glands from each of the creatures. The research had lead everyone to believe that taking away the ability to perform what they were built or created to do, was the way to keep them dead, sucking out magic was what they did, so the glands had to go.

Back at the pond, Damon had Stefan in his grasp, he used his magic to pull fire from the altars and into Stefan's hands to energize him. Damon looked towards the girls, "It's ok, everything is safe. Stefan is safe, the beacon is out of him." Elena with Josie in her arms, came to Damon, "That was not fun. You create quite the creepy movie set out here. Lightning and thorn bushes growing everywhere." Stefan starts to stir, his head starts to move side to side, "Damn, now that's a hangover. Geez, Damon, did you have to use so much? Really, you zapped all of my magic!" All of a sudden giant bubbles start coming from the bottom of the pond and the altar fire bowls begin to blaze, Stefan was strong enough to pull energy from the elements himself. He stood up on his own strength, his hands held giant glowing balls of fire.

Damon turned to Elena, gathering her and Josie in his arms, "Hello Ladies, how are two of my favorite ladies doing?" Josie was the first to say something, "Uncle D, I didn't like that part of magic at all. Am I going to have to do that part too?" Damon took Josie out of Elena's arms, "I truly hope not. That part of our magic is very powerful. It was able to take all the bad parts that were in Zio and put them into that jar. Zio and I used our magic to make you and Lizzie safe. Even though it might have been a little scary, it ended up a good thing. You know why?" Josie shook her head, Damon continued with a warm smile, "Now you are in our coven, and now you can help me get rid of all these bushes and rocks I pulled up when I was helping Zio." Josie nodded her head in agreement, she put her hand on his arm to start siphoning his magic, Damon looked at her, "Josie, you don't need my magic, you have your own now. Hold your arms up Princess, high in the sky." Josie put them up, Damon continued, "Close your eyes, "Feel the air on your skin, let your skin, every part of your skin feel the power of the air that is your magic." Josie's eyes widen, she brings her arms in front of her, Damon says, "Ok, let's try that little pile of rocks over there, we want to put it back in the ground. Very slowly think about it going back to where it came from. Think rock go back to your home. Can you do that?" Josie answers, "Uncle D, Can I tell the rock to go back to it's home and think it at the same time? Or do I have to think it really really hard only?" Damon smiles, "You have to think it, and you can tell it too, but thinking is just as important as using your voice. Before you use your voice, close your eyes and think about the rock going to its home, then you can use your voice to tell it to go home."

Josie shuts her eyes tightly, her little nose crinkled up, she opened her eyes and looked directly at the rock formation, "Time for you to go home!" She pointed her finger at the formation, and slowly moved it downward. Her eyes brightened as the rock formation slowly followed her finger and disappeared underneath the soil. Her entire body was covered in goosebumps, she had shivers, Damon could feel that she had stopped siphoning from the wind while she was draining her magic. He would have to teach her how to divide her concentration as the next lesson. In the meantime, Damon got her attention, "Princess, here you need a little bit of my magic, take some, that was a big spell for you, my little witch. That is why you are shivering." He put her hand on his chest over his heart, immediately the warmth returned to her body, "Ok, We are going to do this together for a while, you can siphon from me and our elements ok. Follow my lead, we are going to make everything go back to their homes." For the next 10 minutes, Elena, Bonnie, Stefan, and Lizzie watched as the Earth & Air witches put everything back in place, they returned the landscape back to the way it looked, no one would ever know what just occurred.

Caroline stood there watching as Josie used her magic confidently. Her daughter wasn't scared, she was strong vocal, and happy, just like a 4-year-old should be. Her hand covered her mouth as the tears gently fell down her cheeks, she worried about Josie the most as a Mother. Josie was shy, quiet, timid, always taking a backseat to Lizzie. The little girl that Damon was holding in his arms, was not shy, timid or quiet, she is fierce, powerful and confident. She was telling, no demanding the landscaping to mould to her command. Caroline was overwhelmed with happiness and pride.

Stefan felt Caroline's presence, his eyes found her at the edge of the pond, "Honey, take your clothes off and join us. It will do you good." Caroline did as she was told and stripped down to her bra and panties. As she stepped into the water, Lizzie jumped out of Bonnie's arm and swam to her mother. Once in Caroline's arm, Lizzie couldn't hold in the adventures she had just been through. The young witch then showed her mother with great pride her new abilities, by pulling fire from the altar bowls and holding tiny fireball in her hand, "See Mommy, my _nergies_ are fire and water, just like Zio. I can make fire do all kindza thigs. Watch me." Lizzie moulds the fireball into an ice cream cone, then a wagon. Stefan pulled the fireball from Lizzie's hand, "Lizzie, we need to be careful, Mommy isn't fireproof like we are. Why don't you show her what you can do to the water?" Lizzie was so excited by that suggestion, "Oh yeah!" She jumps out of Caroline's arms and swims around in a circle, then back to her Mother. She wipes the wet strands of hair from her face, and puts her hand in the water, closes her eyes and tiny bubbles start to appear. Lizzie opens her eyes and looks down at the water, she makes a big huff noise, "I made tiny bubbles, I wanted to make big bubbles." Stefan grinned, "Come here, princess."

Lizzie swam to Stefan, "Remember the water is your energy, you have to let the water or the fire fill your whole body with that warm fuzzy feeling before you start the bubbles. Try it again." Stefan sits her on his knee so that she is submerged in the water to her shoulders, he reminds her, "Close your eyes so you can feel the warmth all over your skin, just like when you siphon from me." Lizzie closed her eyes, her skin starts to feel tingly, soon the hairs start to stand up, she is pulling the magical energy from the water into her body, her back straightens. Stefan smiles, he sees and feels Lizzie gathering her energy from the water, he wants say something to guide her, to tell her how to bring it into her heart, let it flow through her veins until it fills every cell of her being. He knows that the magic's instinct has to kick it, that being part of the Brothers coven will physically guides the magic through her body, Lizzie has to discover each feeling on her own. He has done what he can, she knows she is safe with him by her side, she is free to do magic, he can't help feel a fatherly pride swell from within his heart. Stefan watches her body as she absorbs the magic, he notices as she pinches her nose, that is her tell, she is controlling the flow of magic, another burst of pride upturns the corners of his mouth. Lizzie opens her eyes and points her index fingers at the water around her mother, giants bubbles come up around them, "Mommy, I'm making those… All of them… All by myself… I didn't take any of Zio's magic, not even a little." She jumps off Stefan's lap and swims to straight into Caroline's arms, "Mommy, I'm a big girl witch now, I can get my own magic. I can protect you from the bad monsters." Lizzie points her fingers at the water again and more bubble appear, Caroline is just beaming with joy as she looks in her daughter's eyes, "Look at you, that is amazing, I'm so proud of you. Remember you have more to learn, Zio is going to be teaching you lots of spells and you are going to have to listen to everything he says." Lizzie looks at Stefan and winks dramatically, "Yep, cause we are fire and water witches, right Zio?" Stefan laughs, "That's right."

Ric had arrived just in time to see Josie use magic to make the rock formation disappear, then laugh as she and Damon played at who could reduce bush, rock and tree faster. In front of his eyes, was a strong and vibrant little girl, not his shy, timid daughter who spent more time in her sister's shadow than anywhere else. He was in awe of what she was saying and doing. His eyes wander to Lizzie as she demonstrates her new powers to her mother in an equally excited voice. Enzo pats his back, "Looks like the girls got through everything without a scratch." Ric catches Caroline's attention, the wordless exchange between parents allows his lungs to take a deep breath. He now knows his daughters will be ok, both of them will be in his life for a very long time. Ric takes a look at Damon can't help when a genuine smirk ends up on his face, the thought of not being able to call him a 'dick' again run through his mind, he laughs and shakes it off, "Enzo, let's get these dead ass wipes out of my girls' eyesight. I want to get them to the Armory for some research and a bit of testing. Bonnie has a few theories about where they come from. I have a couple of what they are made out of that Dorian and I want to try out." Enzo nods with an answer, "Let me go tell my girl the plan, I'll meet you at the truck with our dead friends."

Enzo arrives at the pond and gets the attention of the brothers. Damon is the first to say, "Any trouble?" Enzo responds, "Nothing Gorgeous, Ric and I couldn't handle." Stefan turns to Caroline, she nods, "I'm fine, we took care of easy peasy. No one was in danger." Enzo getting Bonnie's attention, "Love, I'm heading with Ric to the Armory for a bit. You keep Sheila safe, I see you back at the Cottage." Bonnie answers, "Do you want me to come with you? I'm not needed here. Everything is done and we are completely safe." Enzo shakes his head, "You should stay with the brothers, just in case. We are fine, everything we have to move is already dead and dismembered."

One very happy Mother has 2 very tired 4-year-old newly Nature's witches in her arms, Caroline whispering to Stefan, "No merging ever… Never ever.. right?" Stefan moves behind his wife and puts his arms around his family, "Never ever…ever… No more Gemini merging ever... Not for our grandchildren or their grandchildren... Never again." Caroline leans back and rested against her husband's chest, she listens to his heartbeat, the steady, strong beat, calms her. She closed her eyes and lets a single tear fall, takes a deep breath and let's go of the fear she has had as a vampire, her fear of watching generation after generation of her children merge, this fear was a daily constant and overwhelming that her amazing human husband had in a single moment taking that fear away forever. Stefan squeezed a little tighter, "Let's get these little ones in bed, they have had a big night."


End file.
